Sunday, July 26, 2009

Why I hate Katherine Heigl... again

Wow! I'm getting a lot of new readers who all Googled "I hate Katherine Heigl". I think she's brought more people to my blog than her latest movie. In any event, welcome.

My favorite ungrateful actress is at it again! Katherine Heigl on Letterman last week said this about her first day back on the GREY’S ANATOMY set: “It was – I’m going to keep saying this because I hope it embarrasses them – a 17-hour day, which I think is cruel and mean.”

Poor Katherine Heigl. What she neglected to add was this: This “cruel” shooting schedule was only to accommodate HER and her needs. The producers graciously shuffled things around so she could go off and do promotion for her new film. Also, with union rules, the producers had to pay a ton of overtime and penalties to make this happen. The thanks they get is Katherine Heigl going on national television hoping to embarrass them.

This is an extreme case of chutzpah, but it’s not uncommon that when shows become big hits cast members become much in demand. They’re offered movie parts, plays, free cruises, you name it. All of a sudden, the show that launched their success is now sort of an imposition. Much more fun to go off and do a movie or a limited run on Broadway. So producers are put in the sticky position of either denying them these outside projects or moving heaven and earth to accommodate them – as if it’s easy to complete principle photography on a normal schedule. (This is of course irrelevant to Katherine the Ingrate who only thinks of herself.)

Imagine you're a showrunner. You get that call from the agent. She gets on the phone and is all sweet and friendly. You know she wants a favor. When she gets on the phone and is curt and bitchy it’s to complain about something on her client’s behalf. So this is the bubbly persona today. Sure enough, can she ask a big favor? Her client has an audition/chance to do a movie/been asked to co-host the Rose Parade/been invited on Elton John’s yacht/wants to do a play in Florida/has tickets for Springsteen in Finland/been offered a commercial in Japan/needs to go on QVC to sell her doll collection/been offered a seat on the upcoming space shuttle/has been drafted by the Astros.

If you say "no" your actor sulks and becomes a huge pain in the ass. If you say "yes" you inconvenience two hundred people who are already hopelessly overworked and behind schedule anyway.

Most of the time you say "yes", even though it’s a big headache for all concerned and will likely be costly.

And then it gets worse. Two actors have scheduling favors. And they conflict. Or they can’t say for sure when they’ll be back. Still, you twist around Rubik’s Cube and try to make it work.

I dearly love the cast of CHEERS but by the last season we went down for runthrough one time and it was Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, and the script supervisor, the first and second AD, and the prop guy. I recall going back to the office to rewrite and someone said they didn’t think a particular Sam joke worked. I blurted out, “How the fuck do we know? Brian did it!”

Again, as show runners we’re happy our actors are doing well. Many struggled for many years and thanks to our show are now getting recognition and opportunities that were never there before. And they want to take advantage. I understand that.

But at least be grateful when we shift things around on your behalf. The CHEERS cast always was. We were forever thanked. And if we needed one of the actors to do a network promo or come in early so we could pre-shoot something -- whatever – they were always there.

Katherine Heigl did not embarrass the producers of GREY’S ANATOMY. She embarrassed herself. She once again exposed herself on national television to be a self-centered prima donna. And I hope another actor on GREY’S ANATOMY needs a few days off and Katherine has to work a 19 hour day. Not that she would.

P.S.Wow! Lots of comments and opinions. Let me just add...I did see the interview....It didn't look like she was joking to me...Saying she was just joking sounds like damage control...I'm not fat.

214 comments
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When Heigl first appeared on Grey's, I thought she had amazing poise. Now I think she's a self-centered whiner. You left out the part where she whined that T.R. Knight wasn't there (after he asked to be let go) and how horrible that was, too.

I wish they would get rid of her. I'm done. Between last year's slap at the writers and this latest incident, sheesh.

You are a complete idiot who is completely unable to grasp the concept of irony, sarcasm and humor. It was obvious she was joking - did you actually see the interview? In the press conference a few days before she mentioned it..and her co-star said it wouldnt come across in print very well..and the press would write ridiculous headlines about her bashing Grey's or being a diva. She responded with "Oh Sh*t, I was joking!!!". Clearly she thought it wouldnt be misinterpreted on TV where inflexion and tone could be seen but clearly some people are that stupid. Actually..no they aren't they just want a stick to bash Heigl with because she is outspoken and honest. Read this article for example, it explains it well: http://bit.ly/15Kxp4

I like Katherine. I saw all her interviews and she was clearly joking. I am glad she's not like other pod people actresses out there. The mistake Grey's made was that she should have been the lead all along. Much stronger actress.

Well on the bright side, the ugly truth about her new movie is it got pretty much unanimously rotten reviews, and has come in third at the box office it's opening weekend.

I wonder if she realizes that her character on GA is bald because the writers were getting revenge?

I missed her Letterman interview because, when he announced her, I automatically changed channel. I've been avoiding the full-of-herself drama queen for a couple years now. Even Gerard Butler and his amazing pecs can't get me into a theater to watch her.

And, oh dear, did I accidentally take a small, semi-gratuitous shot at her in my most recent HuffPo column?

As a matter of fact, I did.

As for GA, I stopped watching it altogether two seasons back, when I realized that I no longer gave a rat's ass about ANY of the characters.

Go to about :50. I must be missing the irony, sarcasm, and humor too. And then go to about 2:10 when she says, "that's what I keep wondering" to a question about how much longer she'll be there. And about 2:45 when she bitches about an hour lunch.

She makes more in one episode that the average household makes in one year. Get over it or quit. Seriously, she could be replaced with a potted plant and it would be more engaging.

She was being sarcastic about the "cruel and mean" comment, and if you saw the interview you would have noticed it. And i guess that Patrick Dempsey and Eric Dane filming Valentine's Day and Ellen Pompeo's pregnancy don't have anything to do with their schedule either, huh?

Note to Andy ...Ms. Diva was not joking about her "17 hour day" ... she added that she hoped it "embarrassed the producers" .. please ... Ken is 100% right on this one ... and he should know being a showrunner ... Ms. Heigl needs to be shown the door ... bye bye baby. I have no patience with blonde talentless arrogant egomaniacs like her.

I feel sorry for Hollywood and people like yourself not being used to having strong, honest woman among you.If it was anyone else from Grey's that said that it would have just passed by as a meaningless comment. Obviously you people are deaf if you can't hear her tone in the interview, she is obviously kidding.

If it was me in her situation I would probably want out of Grey's too. Yeah, it's what made her who she is now, but it doesn't mean it has to hold her back from what she wants to do.

Heigl is an insulted, spoiled child who got lucky! I didn't trust her when she got hissy over Washington dropping the F bomb. I felt that she was using the incident to "better" herself. I don't buy that she is a nice or interesting. She is a bitch. I like spunk, but there is intelligent and outspoken....and then there is mean and self-absorbed. Heigl is MEAN! Meanness is never cool!!!! I will not pay to see her in a film. And I loved her in 2005.

Wow, from a purely indifferent standpoint, there's a lot of crazy going on here. I mean, did Katherine Heigl ever do anything to you? Granted, I agree, it definitely seems like she is aggravated by her schedule and probably doesn't get along with Shonda, but she's just trying to make light of it and failing. Still, your post feels a bit over the top. What gives?

I can be incredibly and dryly sarcastic in a way that makes many people not know when I am kidding. It often makes it difficult for said people to later believe me when i am telling the truth. I know sarcasm VERY well. That, people, was not sarcasm. The people who are claiming it is WANT it to be, but I'm sorry, it ain't. And her feeling for the show comes out very clear when she is asked how much longer the show will run. She can barely disguise her feelings for it.

Oh, and I'm guessing Ken is writing about it because it's a) his friggin' blog, and b) he knows what it feels like to be a showrunner and has sympathy for the producers who Heigl most definitely slammed.

if she was trying to be funny, as she and her backers claim, she apparently needs more work on her comedy. Picking movies that are remotely funny might help.

Her lack of respect for the crew who are responsible for her face gracing her fans living rooms once a week is enough to make me never want to see that face again.

The crew is the first to arrive and the last to leave. The actors are usually the first to complain. It'd be lovely to switch places to give them a taste of the extra work they heap on the shoulders of the crew when they pull that kind of diva crap.

Leave Katherine alone! She is a film legend with far more ability to act than you will ever have....oh wait Katherine Heigel I thought you where mocking Katherine Hepburn...Heigel should go back to working at the GAP

"::Otulp:: said... are you fat? you sound fat. you write fat. like a fat, nerdy hater."

I know Ken, Otulp dear (Did your mother name you after a set of word verification letters?), and he is in fact, rail thin, almost bony.

But nice third-grade schoolyard level discourse. Are you by any chance 8 years old?

"Larissa said... I feel sorry for Hollywood and people like yourself not being used to having strong, honest woman among you."

What has that to do with Ms Heigl? She's an embarrassment to ACTUAL strong honest women.

""Rose said... I only read a couple of sentences of this article before I skipped to the comments. Who cares what actors do off screen? ... I have no idea why journalists heap so much attention on her."

Um, no, she was not kidding. Even if she had been kidding the first time she said it, someone would have let her know how pompous and whiny it sounded, not to mention how insulting it might be to the show runner, costars, and crew who also worked the long ass day to accommodate her movie promo schedule. I am certain someone would let her know? She said it in every appearance I've seen on all the talk shows and press junket sit-downs. I do like to look at her. After the Emmy baloney she pulled, I'm amazed and astonished that she still has a job on that glorified soap opera. Had a couple good seasons, but I bailed after part one of the bomb in the belly episode. Katherine is not a "stronger lead"; she's obnoxious and self absorbed to the point that she doesn't really have to act very hard to make her character's breathless histrionics believable.

"...a complete idiot who is completely unable to grasp the concept of irony, sarcasm and humor. " My God, Ken... I had no idea. It's astounding how you managed to stumble from one great show to the next given a handicap of this magnitude. You are truly the Helen Keller of television. Soldiering on with nary a complaint. The pluck on you.

Ms Heigl is a lovely, intelligent woman -- not Katherine Hepburn-grade in either category, mind you, but normally enough to make me want to watch a show.

But T. R. Knight is gone...and for me, for that, the story is over.

George O'Malley was my hero. George O'Malley was every boy who was ever made fun of in high school for his grades. He was not only in the A.V. club and the Chess club, but he was their Treasurer and Vice President, plus he played D&D. I loved George. Hell, there were times in my life when I was George. What they put him through with the death of his father was much the same as I went through with the death of mine. Even when they gave him an involuntary personality transplant during the 4th and 5th seasons, I could still see him underneath the lines Mr. Knight was forced to read.

And they killed him off, deader than the proverbial fuckin' doornail. He died a hero -- they dropped a godsdamned bus on him -- to save another. That was the essence of the George character, goofy victim and magnificent hero, summed up in a moment.

So for me, the real star of the show is gone, everything else is aftermath. I'm done with it.

Ken has a valid point that Heigl shouldn't complain about the long hours if they are the result of schedule changes made to accommodate her.

But I'm a little confused by some of the other piling on that's happening here. I just watched the first few minutes of the interview. She does not whine about T.R. Knight not being on there. She merely says it's odd not having her friend on set anymore.

Rob: You point out the bit at 2:10 when Dave asks her how much longer she'll be on the show, and she replies "That's what I keep wondering." She laughs rather heartily after saying this, then goes on to say that she hopes the show lasts as long as ER. And although she clearly has no interest in staying with the show for "10 or 15 years" (as Dave says), she doesn't seem to rule out staying on a while longer. She also mentions that she considers her co-workers family, which may just be a line, of course, but still, she said it.

I think she's a good actress, and if she makes a film that interests me, I'll see it (I did give up on Grey's though -- it was a fun guilty pleasure that turned into a chore).

Please... For a moment there I thought you might actually have something new or interesting to say...The fact that you don't get Heigl's sense of humour is not a reflection on her, it's a reflection on your prejudice.If you read up on Heigl, the people who actually KNOW something about her can tell you that she's anything but the self-centered diva, she's known for quite the opposite. Trust me...None of you writers, who are so upset that someone might criticize your sacred craft, seem to remember how Heigl sided with you in the writer's strike, walking around wearing an ugly ass baseball cap for days to support you. She wasn't so "spoiled" then, right?I'm a writer and a critic and the members of mine/our profession are far to self-centered for their own good, so is this maybe a case of sour grapes? She made a joke on our expense! Help! Jumping on the hate band wagon is an easy way to get attention... Heigl is a sweetheart with a wicked sense of humour. And I know that for sure.

I'll allow that maybe she was joking -- because I do like to give people the benefit of doubt, merely to be generous -- but the problem is that, if she was joking, it still came off looking whiny and bratty. How hard would it have been for her to just suck it up and say how nice it was to get back to her "day job" and how much she likes portraying the character and blah blah blah. No one would've believed her but at least she would've come off sounding somewhat gracious.

The sad thing is Heigl has to even explain herself. Everything she says now is twisted and turned against her so even jokes are taken seriously. She is refreshingly honest and outspoken and the truth is Hollywood don't know how to handle a woman who does this.

Also to write an article entitled "Why I hate..." is just incredibly pathetic. I mean do you really HATE her? That is a very powerful emotion and pretty worrying if you ask me. I am not sure I hate ANYONE. Do you generally hate a lot of people? Are you sexist? Do you hate women?

What? This sounds like a ridiculous over reaction...surely not. You mean..your headline was just a turn of phrase to show your displeasure rather than actual HATRED. I should have realised that right? It was pretty obvious.

Or maybe I am just stupid and take everything literally, or I was just turning it against you like you did to Ms. Heigl. Surely not. But then I wasn't after a cheap headline. Jump on Heigl bashing bandwagon - it is the thing to do right?

Funny that Paul & the band were playing "If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, better make an ugly woman your wife..." as she entered. Yes, I know her movie is called the Ugly truth, but I was just thinking that song was never truer...

If you married a conceited, unbearable bitch like Heigl, well you'd just be freakin' miserable until the day you finally kick that bitch out the door.

Comments by weirdos like Larissa come from people who sit on Twitter 24/7 searching for instances where Katherine Heigls name appears and rush to defend their heroine/deity/imaginary friend. I bet if Ken put a Twitter out there "why I hate (some American Idol)" or someone else "controversial politician or fox/msnbc talking head" he'd get similar illogical defenders of said subject.

I don't know much about Katherine Heigl, because I don't watch Grey's Anatomy. Tried it once, it didn't stick. I have to say though, the one thing I do know about Katherine Heigl, is that for about a year, I've been aware of nothing but complaints coming from her. If they're not from her, then they're rumoured to be from her - which means she uses a proxy and does as little as possible to police those "rumours". Quite honestly, if this average actress is unhappy, and feels she should publicise this, then she should just get it over with and quit.

Her stock will only fall if she stays and continues to whine, eventually to the point that she won't be fired, she'll just quietly be let go when her contract runs out, by which time no-one will care who she is.

Truth be told, all I really know about Grey's is about the "sex-symbol" labels that the press handed out to most of the cast, and the stuff that first involved Isiah Washington being an idiot, then Katherine Heigl rolling around on her back crying about how "it's not fair" for around 12 months, and I dare say there are other people who are left with nothing but a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to this show, which will sooner or later be something the network will feel it has to do something about.

At least T.R. Knight can walk away with some kind of self-respect; He actually didn't like the show, then quit. Now he leaves behind his former colleague for her to continue telling anyone who will listen how AWFUL it is being paid to do this thing that she really doesn't enjoy/appreciate, but will continue to do until someone pays her to sit on her backside reading scripts written by her and fans of her to a tape recorder, or she gets herself fired by people who gave her a job.

Wow! This is almost as bad as the time you mentioned Summer Glau in passing. I expect sci-fi geeks to comb through the internet looking for any fleeting mention of Firefly. I'm more than a little surprised that Katherine Heigl fans do the same. Is that being sexist?

That was not sarcasm or irony or humor. Heigl was annoyed and upset by the long day and she was talking about it for the exact reason that she said -- she wanted to embarrass the producers. Of course, it could be that my sarcasm detector is as broken as the professional comedy writer who authors this blog.

"If you say "no" your actor sulks and becomes a huge pain in the ass." Isn't it the producer's job to grow huge pains in his ass, you blame the actor when really the one who makes everybody works their ass off is the one on top who cant handle the pressure. American's...

THANK YOU KEVIN!! I can verify the veracity of your post -- as someone who has worked in the entertainment industry for 25 years (below-the-line), I've witnessed the same self-centered, entitled diva behavior -- from both men and women -- over and over again.

As for the "she was only joking" contingent...she has repeated her sob story SEVERAL times -- on the red carpet of her latest movie, on Letterman, on Good Morning America, AND on Jimmy Kimmel. Enough already! She should take a page from the advice she so LOUDLY offered up to Isiah Washington several years ago -- "Stop talking."

It seems to me that in going out and promoting one's film, regardless of whether you're serious or kidding, if you're also working on a TV series and have to go back and face those people for 17 hours a day, five days a week, then it probably makes better sense to not make any comments about your job situation there at all and stay focused on the film promotion. Of course, the tabs, talk shows and entertainment media will no doubt hound you to no end, but isn't that what a good agent/manager/publicist are all there for -- to deflect some of that?... She can do all her talking after she leaves/is fired/gets killed off the show. I don't think Ms. Heigl is getting very good career advice or management right now...

Having never thought about it, I was surprised by the number. If you haven't already written such a column, it might be an interesting read. Exactly how many cameramen are needed for each episode? How many people work in editing? How many in lighting? Food services?

We all see the actors. We know there is a bevy of writers during a season. But I don't think we realize the actual size of the mob that brings us our favorite weekly show.

Something else to think about: 17 hour days are not unheard of on a drama.

Back when The Dead Zone was on, 17 hour days were Anthony Michael Hall's regular schedule because he was in almost every scene, sometimes as two different characters. I don't remember him whining about it because he signed on for the job and it was a terrific career move.

And because he was great to work with, the writers always tried to find ways to give him a break.

I think you know very little about Katherine Heigl and what she is like as a person other than some of the negative comments that have been banded about in the media. Go chat to some of the people she has worked with on Grey's Anatomy or on previous movies (quite a few of them on Twitter) and they will all give you glowing reports about how nice she is, how down to earth and non-diva like she is. Katherine is attacked for pretty much everything she does because she is outspoken. It has made her a target. She was definitely not blasting her producers - it was tongue in cheek stuff and none of them will be upset by it I am pretty sure of that. The sad thing is that if ANYONE else had of made the comment it would not be even in the news. Everything she says the media are scouring through to try and find some way to portray it in a negative light at the moment. Heigl bashing is the in thing. Whether people are pro or anti, the fact is blogs are filled with comments and hence that is why more articles are being written. Ken himself must have tweeted this article about 5 times because its got more comments than anything else he has written. Heigl is $. Simple as that. It shows a real lack of journalistic integrity on his part. What I think is disappointing is that someone who is a real and unaffected as Katherine is actually being portrayed as some ungrateful super diva. That could not be further from the truth in my opinion.

I think you're under attack by fervent Heigl fans, not by people who either work in the TV biz & get where you're coming from or people who don't care about Heigl one way or the other.

BTW if it's really true that Heigel & crew had such awful working conditions shouldn't they complain to their unions (SAG for Heigl IATSE for crew DGA for directors & WGA for writers) about not getting proper turnarounds, breaks, meal penalties, overtime?

If this is a real legitimate complaint of Heigl's she should file it with the guild & let them look into it.

If she's joking, she needs to hire better gag writers, which may now be hard to do because although she walked a WGA picket line (as did most of the members of the Grey's cast so she's not exceptionally special / dedicated to writers on that issue, there are hundreds of actors who supported the WGA strike) the smart-ass-ish joke/comment may have lost her points with WGA members

Watching it again, I think both sides are correct. She was half joking. She was attempting to disguise her opinion with a veil of humour. She just didn't do it very well. She had the same look on her face when she said it as when she talked about how long she hoped the show would go on for. I didn't buy it. She meant what she said, but was hoping that most people would view it as joking.

The interview itself is very tedious, and that's Letterman's fault for not picking her up on whether she was serious or not. As it is she comes across as just another actor on the make - 'if it's Tuesday it must be Letterman'. And that's her fault. Ken should have Letterman's job; we need interviewers who don't sit on the fence.

WV = colitire: what you get when you have had colitis so long it is really pissing you off.

I really have no idea what Heigl has done, except from what I've seen on this blog site - today. Which might - if they're still intersested and hanging around this site - might relay to a nominal group of fans of a nominal actress, how unimprtant she really is. So, for me, someone who's here because he's interested in the general opinion of an important writer who is a part of TV histroy, anything mean that the author might have said would seam completely justified, even if it has no journalistic integrity. I'm not here to get a journalists take on the bussiness. I'm here to get a relevant inside take on how the monster that is Hollywood actually functions. Something that many who have commented on this issue, I'm certain, have no freakin' clue about.

Mr. Levine, thanks for the heads up on yet another premadonna who works on yet another show that I coould care less about. I'm not even going to bother youtubing the interview. The woman sounds like an ass. Do these people have any idea how many talented actors there are who never get a shot in Hollywood? Maybe if they thought about this fact a little more, rather than just themselves and their own meaningless drama - maybe they would keep their over fed egos away from the media. And maybe be a little more gracious when they are doing the obligatory, shameless self-promotion of the talk show circuit. Or possibly just keep their big, ungratefull mouths shut in general.

And I really do not wish to disparage anyone, but hearing tales like this makes me want to speak out against an entire portion of the population of this country (because it appears that there are many fans that would whole-heartedly support this non-sense) that really can't see past the boarders of their own egos, which are truly expansive. So to sum three long paragraphs up into one capitalized, three word sentence (I'll even give it its own paragraph - I think it's worthy) ...

Yeeesh, you’d think she was working at the Kathy Lee Gifford Studio in Cambodia or something!

Sorry to just be chiming in, but I’ve been in my trailer for the past 17 hours, because Ken Levine really hasn’t given me that much to work with this year. Matt, Rob posted the interview link in about the 4th comment above – complete with GPS navigation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxh-ihSUOTk

So what’s with all this time off? First Sarah Palin, now Katherine the Grey horsing around on Letterman. Is there no end to the madness? I went to Rob’s link and, personally, I’m much more upset about the woman’s thinly veiled interview reference to having smuggled those coke balloons into our country via the digestive systems of flea-bitten canines. Forget Chihuahua, forget Mastiff. It was a friggin’ mule. (Hey, you have to watch the segment, and sniff between the lines.

I’ve studied all 70+ of these posted comments – noting “True” and “NB” where appropriate in the margins, and have come to only one conclusion: Everybody’s right, and Katherine Heigl suffers from a multiple personality disorder. Personally I still find her charming. On the other hand I have tremendous respect for the insights gathered over the years from this blog. What’s a wuss to do? I obviously haven’t had the advantage of projecting prior experience with dozens of other accomplished TBB’s (thespians behaving badly) to know where this particular situation falls, but I’m leaning more likely toward un-circumspect than ungrateful. Under the pressure of holding one’s own witwise against somebody like Letterman, to be interesting, to say anything, I can see how someone can become so self-absorbed in the moment as to not realize others impacted might not be as delighted to be involved in what you see as only lighthearted kvetchery. Been there...and I’d like to take this opportunity to personally apologize to you, Mr. Scorcese. Now if other examples cited had been slightly less ambiguous and open to interpretation, I could cancel my 3:30 with Dr. Phil.

If she was joking as he pr and fervent fans opined,it was utterly stupid to keep repeating a joke that was not well received. Not surprising because it is evident that her mouth is much bigger than her brain.

I used to love Heigl, but then,well, she turned ungrateful. It's one thing to feel a certain way, but does she really need to whine about it? I'd like to feel super sorry for her, but it's just not possible. I have kids and they whine enough. I turn on a show or I write in the night to escape from the whining (amongst other stuff). The sniveling is just a slap in the face to the other 200 people making it work; cooly just doing their jobs.

I think at last, you've put your finger on the problem, Anon. After all, you couldn't even come up with a screen name.

"Kelly said... THANK YOU KEVIN!!"

Who is "Kevin"?

"Heidi Germanaus said... It's not like he called out Merryl Streep or anything."

Yeah, it's time someone called that Streep bitch on her diva crap. We could call her "Meryl Strepp." After all, she ... ah ... ah ... Well, she's been a huge movie star for decades, with more Oscar noms than I have molecules; surely she must have done some diva bitching at some point! No? She's just a solid professional, the opposite of all things Heigl? Drat! But I bet she's never had to work a 17 hour ... What? Oh never mind.

"Anonymous said... If she was 'joking' or being 'ironic' then she is Andy Kaufman reincarnated"

What a terrible thing to say about Andy Kaufman.

In any event, Heigl is clearly of the "Speak and remove all doubt" school of hiding one's douchebaggery, although I don't remember seeing her in class whne I was taking that class.

Boy, it's a good thing Heigl isn't a DeGarmo. This could have gotten ugly.

Meanwhile, her movie just came out and it's her third box office hit in a row. And yes, "misty" I'm a Heigl fan and I know who Ken Levine is. I'm sure Cheers was funny when it aired in the 12th century.

"Josh said... Meanwhile, her movie just came out and it's her third box office hit in a row. And yes, 'misty' I'm a Heigl fan and I know who Ken Levine is. I'm sure Cheers was funny when it aired in the 12th century."

Actually, it came in THIRD, behind a HARRY POTTER movie everyone saw last week, and a movie about a gopher. "Hits" come in first. The Ugly Truth did okay, particularly given how critically reviled it is. On Rotton Tomatoes.com, we learn that, out of 94 reviews, 80 of them HATED it.

CHEERS went off the air about 15 years ago, which was what? About a year before you were born, Josh? Two years? Didn't realize you were born in the 12th Century. And good is good forever, just as a horrible bitch to work with is a horrible bitch to work with, no matter if her film tanks, is a hit, or is just okay. Teh CHEERS epsideos that aired this evening were still damn funny. Will GA still be airing in syndication in 15 years? Or will it only SEEM like 15 years?

"deva said... love nopsi, will use that one... thanks, Ms Morehead"

You're welcome. I was afraid no one would get it. Particularly all the Heigl groupies, who clearly aren't too bright.

last year (or whenever) when she declined to submit for an Emmy, I believed her, took her comments at face value - they seemed to make sense. And I still agree with her on that.

This, however - I saw the interview (all of them, though not in airing order - I heard of her comments from the next show she was on, and then I heard her say them) - and you're right. Of course it was to appease her and her schedule.Hopefully when Ellen goes off on maternity leave, Katherine will have many long days to gripe about. (and I bet you wouldn't hear Ellen griping about them, if it were her (she who has been CPR'ed for hours and hours till she had to ask for a chest guard as her own heart was getting a little wonky from the pumping)

I'm not sure she was really "whining" about TR. But she was definitely griping about the 17 hours.Ingrate.

"The sad thing is Heigl has to even explain herself. Everything she says now is twisted and turned against her so even jokes are taken seriously. She is refreshingly honest and outspoken and the truth is Hollywood don't know how to handle a woman who does this."

So, which is it? She's refreshingly honest and outspoken... but oh, no, not *that*; *that* was just a joke, really, no really...

Katherine Heigl. CHAIN SMOKING ASHTRAY. Gross. Shackled to the vice. No wonder she can't cut it. She's a slave to PHILLIP MORRIS. She works on their behalf for free. So, in my book, she is an idiot. A walking advert for smoking. Makes dollars and cents in the big picture and out of it. So, she is bankable in those dirty terms. Otherwise, gimme a fucking break. Quit smoking,stupid!!

There have been a couple of comments about the amount of money actual medical and surgical residents get paid compared to the amount of money actors portraying medical and surgical residents are paid.

I have no inside or confidential information, I just have read some press reports.

At the time Sherry Stringfield left ER the first time, at the end of the program's third season in 1997, she was reportedly earning $70,000 per week. A third-year resident in emergency medicine in that same period, I've been told, earned in the range of $24-26,000 per year. If these figures are accurate, she was making, for each of the 22 weeks per year the program was in production, almost three times each week what her real-life counterpart would make for the entire year. Even with percentages removed for agency fees, union dues, the Motion Picture Country Home & Hospital, and withholding for the higher tax bracket she'd was in, there's no doubt about which side of the income balance scale weighed more heavily. You can make similar comparisons between actors who play other emergency responders and the actual responders (in the City of St. Louis, Mo., where I live, firefighters and police officers fresh from their respective academies start at $31,900 per year), or actors who play soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, etc., to the actual ones.

I put it to you that no actor ON EARTH would work the hours that medical residents, rookie firefighters and cops, and actual military work for the money they actually make. The job of "actor" isn't important enough.

This is where the concept of "duty" comes in, the idea that somebody has to step in and place themselves between the innocent and the chaos and sheer destructive forces which the world can bring to bear. Somebody has to stand for civilization, and these are the people who choose to do it...and we pay them beer and pizza money for it.

I mean that literally: compare the money spent in any community in the United States on take-out pizza in a given year and compare it to what's spent on salaries for police officers or firefighters. I'll bet you'll find the pizza figure higher in almost every example.

Aaron Sorkin and Jack Nicholson weren't telling the half of it in A Few Good Men. We all sleep at night because of a few good men and women who work and raise families on pizza money for a number of hours which would send most actors complaining to their agents, managers, and unions.

I have nothing against Katherine Heigl, Sherry Stringfield, George Clooney, Dennis Franz, Alan Alda, Dana Delaney, or any other actors who have made successful careers which have included playing emergency responders or medical or military personnel. I admire their devotion to their craft and art, and wish all of them well from my vantage point as a viewer in the midwest who lived in L. A. for five years without being part of the Industry.

(The same goes for writers such as Mr. Levine, who also works hard at his craft and art, and who I also admire and wish well, or I wouldn't be on this page. As Harlan Ellison sagely noted, without the writers, actors and directors would have nothing to do, or as another very famous writer put it, "In the beginning was the Word....")

But let's keep a sense of perspective about the value of certain work in the daily maintaining of civilization vs. the value of certain other work in the same regard.

There will be LOTS of scenes in Izzy's hospital room with her lying silently in her coma. These scenes may or may not have anything to do with the Izzy storyline, but Izzy will be required to be on set throughout. (i.e. Meredith can sit in Izzy's room to make phone calls about the Sears washer/dryer set that keeps being delivered damaged.)

Meredith can also have scenes at home in which Izzy is mentioned in passing. Izzy will be required to be on the hospital set (darkened to save money) to give the rest of the cast a sense of verisimilitude.

After 6 (or so) episodes following this model, the slightly over-religious but scrump-diddly-umptious Dr. Flanders will show up and miraculously cure Izzy. They will go on a first date to a NASCAR race, sitting in the top row of the grandstand. During a t-shirt promotion, 12 babes in shorts and belly-t's will shoot t-shirts out of air cannons, all hitting Izzy and knocking her off the grandstand to her death, ten stories below in the parking lot.

Shonda Rhimes will decree that no episode from Izzy's tenure will ever air again in reruns or syndication. (H/T to Barbara Walters and Star Jones.)

You might be amused by this snippet from http://moviemorlocks.com/2009/07/27/what-i-didnt-know-about-hollywood/"Speaking of flops, the worst flop is not Heaven’s Gate, Waterworld, or the much-maligned Ishtar. It’s probably a film released in 2006 called Zyzzyx Road starring Katherine Heigl, who is currently the darling of romantic comedies. For complicated reasons I did not fully understand, producer Leo Grillo had to release Zyzzyx Road domestically in the theaters before he could distribute it in theaters in foreign markets. Grillo released this strange drama, which had cost him $2 million to produce, for six days in one theater in Dallas, where it netted $20."

Nathan said... Here's my suggestion for how the next few episodes ought to go:...During a t-shirt promotion, 12 babes in shorts and belly-t's will shoot t-shirts out of air cannons, all hitting Izzy and knocking her off the grandstand to her death, ten stories below in the parking lot."

No, no. don't kill her off. Have Izzy survive, but horribly disfigured, so Heigl has to stay on the show, but endure 4 hours of make up every day (and another 2 hours to remove) to make her look like something Lon Chaney would call "over-the-top". That would be amusing. I'd almost tune back in to see it.

"Devlin Thompson said... Grillo released this strange drama, which had cost him $2 million to produce, for six days in one theater in Dallas, where it netted $20."

Great story!!! Did it cost $20 to see it?

WV: grack: Ms Heigl's breasts during lift-off when she's fired into the Sun.

I have been so over her character... since Denny died! Enough already - I really do not enjoy watching her or hearing about her or the bizarre story lines... Grey's has turned into the Izzy show, and she is just not that interesting!Ken, you've been in this business long enough and are astute enough to recognize any type of humour, and you are far from stupid! I didn't see the interview, but I'll take your word over pretty much anyone else's because, let's face it, you have the expertise!It's amazing though, how we identify with and grow to love or dislove characters and actors based on the smallest things. Saw Dan Ackroyd on Bill Maher's show - and became an instant unfan. Saw Luke Perry on Bill Maher's show and was blown away by his insight. The strangest things can tip the scales (Katherine is way on the down side for me!) You are way way on the up side!!

""Susan said... Saw Dan Ackroyd on Bill Maher's show - and became an instant unfan."

Why? What did he say? I'm not being sarcastic. I'm genuinly curious. I didn't see it, and I've always been an Ackroyd fan, who on the two occasions when I've met him was awfully nice to me, far more so than he needed to be. So I would like to know what the turn-off was. Thanks.

WV: mortsag: what the producers would like to see happen if there's an actor's strike.

I know these comments are all supposed to be about whether we thought Katherine Heigl was joking and, if she was, should she have been and blah blah blah. Could we please focus on the important part of this discourse? Tallulah said:

Well on the bright side, the ugly truth about her new movie is it got pretty much unanimously rotten reviews, and has come in third at the box office it's opening weekend.

That movie also stars Gerard Butler! He could act opposite an evil Oogahulgapa Monster from the Planet Wahja and I would still want to see the movie. If it tanks, then it won't play in the Keys and I will be deprived of the opportunity until it comes out on DVD.

Didn't see Letterman. DID see the day after's Regis&Kelly interview. She said it AGAIN, said she was going to get in trouble for it and proceeded to bitch and whine over her cruel hours. She WAS NOT joking. I hate the spoiled unsufferable woman. Next time they should not accommodate her and let her be pissed off.

Wow are people really that stupid to think that what she said was to be taken seriously? Ken Levine you fit the idiot hater persona rather well. Congrats on your pathetic and moronic rants. You know nothing,

Mary Stella said... Could we please focus on the important part of this discourse? [What] Tallulah said[?] ... That movie also stars Gerard Butler! He could act opposite an evil Oogahulgapa Monster from the Planet Wahja and I would still want to see the movie."

I am second to none in my lust for Gerry Butler, whom I adore for 300 reasons. (Loved his Phantom of the Opera with the microscopic disfiguration, so he came off like a runway model with a zit, and a mask that was just a fashion accessory.) And when he stars opposite evil Oogahulgapa Monster from the Planet Wahja (they're in talks to remake Noel Coward's PRIVATE LIVES, and Oogie isn't really "Evil," just misunderstood, on account of her eating the population of Fresno. It was an in-humanitarian act. I mean which would you prefer; living in Fresno or getting eaten by the evil Oogahulgapa Monster from the Planet Wahja? I rest my case) I will see it.

To me, that was the REAL ugly truth about THE UGLY TRUTH, my darling Gerry having to put up with the Heigl Creature From Grey's Lagoon. Unless Gerry does full-frontal nudity, I'm skipping it.

"Anonymous said... PS: Tallulah Morehead, her movie still came in the top ten of this weekend raking in 27 million dollars. That proves she has staying power."

Yes, her movie "STILL" came in THIRD on its OPENING weekend. (How long do you think it's been out, Anon? I know the movie SEEMS like it's a week long, but it isn't.) That proves her "staying power" all right, she stayed in third for her entire first three days of release.

In any event, I'm only interested in Gerry's "Staying Power."

And at least I SIGNED my name, Anonymous. Who are you again? Too ashamed of being a Heigl fan to sign your name?

Dude, this is the same problem you have with "anonymous" commenters. You are blinded by the person's name, and you can't see past it to look at the actual content of the message. Watch the interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxh-ihSUOTk), and pretend it's some other actress, sombody you like, and you'll see she's joking. Forget her name, and WATCH THE ACTUAL FUCKING CONTENT of the interview. It's not a funny joke, I'll admit, but if you've ever been around other human beings, you can tell she was trying to make a joke.

Tallulah Morehead, I glanced over this rather long and pathetic post you made, and it clearly shows you have issues with your little internet persona here. I find it funny that you put so much merit into signing a name on a BLOGGING posts. I could careless about a name. Especially a name like yours where you truly show that you have NO idea what you’re talking about.

The fact that it is ON the top ten movie list only after one WEEK that it’s been out is more than enough PROOF to show what kind of impact that she has on Hollywood. In fact I’d say it would’ve been easily a second place release if it didn’t follow a huge movie like Half Blood Prince. But I’m sure your attitude is “if it’s not number one then it’s a failure” which I do find amusing on your end. And please. Don’t get me started on Gerard Buttler. If it wasn’t for his chiseled good looks, he wouldn’t be anywhere NEAR as popular as he is today. A few overrated and pathetically painful action movies like 300 or Gamer (wow that’s sure to be a movie for the ages) is nothing to me.

But you go ahead and toot your horn of name signatures and flash your pompous, pseudo witty tomfoolery like the intellectual lightweight you are for my amusement ;-)

Dear Anonymous Coward, which is what all "Anonymous" flamers are, THE UGLY TRUTH has not been out a week yet. Therefore it has "sustained" any success yet.

Your argument that it would have been a hit if a REAL hit hadn't come out the week before is pathetic.

Your amazing, gratuitous attack on Gerard Butler (the only imaginable reason to see THE UGLY TRUTH), who has more talent in his left nipple than Heigl has in her whole self (and don't get me started on his right nipple. It's GENIUS!) reveals that you are just a Heigl slave, with no genuine perception of talent at all. After all, good looks are ALL Heigl has going for her, well that and her incredible sense of star entitlement. Butler has talent. And isn't overwhelmingly full of himself.

That you don't care for my "pompous, pseudo witty tomfoolery," (Pompous? Moi? Quelle insane!) is certainly a matter of personal taste. I am an acquired taste indeed. Admittedly, from my international book sales (Oh yes, I'm between hard covers all around the globe), I'm a widely-acquired taste, and people with names they are not ashamed to give out publicly, like Barry Humphries for one mere international comic genius example, have expressed their love of me and my work, but that's no reason for you to love me. In fact, I'd prefer you didn't. If I appealed to you, I might suspect I WAS pompous and pseudo-witty.

But unless you sign your attacks, you're a coward, and your opinion is valueless.

Katherine Heigl is a terrible actress. She has been terrible at least since Roswell, and definitely she was terrible all the way through 27 dresses. She was terrible in disney movies. She is terrible. Honestly, I didn't see the interview. I'm just a long-time Heigl hater who is totally piling on. But I stand by my original statement. She is a terrible actress.

Really? Is that so? Well then I guess you better tell the people and the producers who made over 35 million dollars as of the 28th. Because those numbers aren’t considered successful at all. And is it really too hard to believe that some movies sales suffer due to other popular movies coming out? When transformers two came out this year, it nearly dominated the box offices and other movies that also did well…didn’t DO as well because of WHEN it came out. I mean it couldn’t possibly be because of the cash cow franchise that HP and Transformers are right? You make me laugh.

I’m not so much a Heigl Slave as I am someone who just likes to egg people on. Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s a pretty good actress and she’s capable of pulling off a decent role. She just has to get out of this Rom Com state she is in. But my “attack” on Gerard Butler is more due to the fact that he’s a second rate cut throat action hero who’s dramatic acting ability doesn’t even exceed the lines “THIS IS SPARTA!” he has about as much talent as a Jason Statham or the 1990’s “Aahnold” who’s only claim to fame so far is to star in a mediocre Frank Miller adaptation. I find your perception talent is rather skewered if you feel a half naked buff guy with painted abs and a fake beard shouting out bad lines is considered talented. Right, an Emmy winning actress is nothing compared to a whopping MTV movie award for best fight scene. Wow you sure showed me.

Who said you don’t appeal to me? I’ve found some amusement out of your skewered perspective of reality as well as your horrific definition of talented and your display of a skewered life style that you made up for humor purposes. And who says I don’t love ya? Just because you’re a celebrity gossiping mongrel doesn’t mean you don’t deserve love. I’m here aren’t I? ;-)

But I’m glad you think my opinion is so valueless and irrelevant. I mean it’s so gosh darn irrelevant that you just had to come back and respond to keep this internet drama going right? Because my cowardice opinion means so little to you? Because you sure aren’t hiding behind a computer at all concealing your identity now are ya? I mean you’re just broadcasting your pictures all over the net so people can get a gander at your…oh wait, never mind.

"AnonymousAHole said... is it really too hard to believe that some movies sales suffer due to other popular movies coming out? When transformers two came out this year, it nearly dominated the box offices and other movies that also did well…didn’t DO as well because of WHEN it came out. I mean it couldn’t possibly be because of the cash cow franchise that HP and Transformers are right?"

I'm 87% certain you had a point in there somewhere, but writing for clarity isn't among your strengths.

"AnonymousAHole said... Who said you don’t appeal to me?"

You. Imagine my taking "your pompous, pseudo witty tomfoolery like the intellectual lightweight you are" for dislike. How can I have misread it so? Your love letters must be really something.

"Because you sure aren’t hiding behind a computer at all concealing your identity now are ya?"

It takes two clicks on my highlighted name to take anyone to the page that gives my real name, not that most of the regulars here aren't well familiar with who I really am already. I am not even remotely anonymous. My name can be found on my webpage, and my whereabouts are available from that obscure document, the phone book. And there are plenty of pictures of my "alter ego" online, again particularly over on my own blog, and above the author's bio on my books.

Says the person who rambles on about Gerard Butler’s nipples and their made up prima donna fantasies. I mean I was searching for some sort of congruent argument on your end,. But alas you had none. I’m guess plausible posting is too much to ask on your end eh?

Since writing and reading aren’t strong suits I’ll just state what I said before. It’s not so much dislike as it is stating the truth. Like I said, I still love ya. Even if you are a “pompous, pseudo witty tomfoolery like the intellectual lightweight.” ;-). We at the unsigned group are big fans of other internet divas such as yourself ;-)

You’re not anonymous but then again you’re not entirely an A list celebrity walking down the red carpets. You’re another internet prima donna who still hides behind a computer while using corny comebacks as their verbal argumentative crutch. Which is like what, almost every blogger on the internet? You don’t exactly standout sweet heart. Again, you’re a dime a dozen celebrity wannabe. Just like Melvin Crabtree and any other below D list “Celebrities” out there. It’s not a huge step from being anonymous. In fact in your case, I’d give less away about yourself.

Honestly what are you famous for again? Besides being an internet prude with no real celebrity status?

"AnonymousAhole said... It’s not a huge step from being anonymous. In fact in your case, I’d give less away about yourself."

Yes, a chicken like you would indeed give away less about yourself. It IS a huge step from hiding in anonymity. I am not hiding at all. You are still too big a coward to own up to yourself.

"Honestly what are you famous for again? Besides being an internet prude with no real celebrity status?"

Well no one who knows me or my work has EVER called me a prude. If there is anything I am not, it's a prude. That one is 180 degrees away from the mark. Show me a prude who would ramble on about Gerard Butler's nipples. (Mmmmmm)

What I am is a published author with multiple books, a produced playwright, TV, and radio writer, a former professional actor and comic, and someone who has worked in this industry for more than 40 years. Those "prima donna fantasies" have poured a lot of money into my account.

And who are you again? Your yellow streak is still uncontested. Mere unjustified smugness doesn't change the fact that you haven't had the balls to give your name when insulting people. I have.

This is the first time I've read your blog, and I have to say that I completely agree with you solidly on every point. From everything I've seen or read on Heigl's personality, I can't stand her. She's not that talented, not that good looking(there are a great number of undiscovered actresses who more than fill the bill in both categories), and is nothing more than a spoiled brat who got lucky based on the success of this show.

To anyone with 1/4 of a brain, it's obvious Heigl was NOT joking; she didn't even pretend at it. It's amazing to me how someone can have so much given to them, and still be ungrateful for it, when others dream of one day attaining such success and struggle in lesser-seen productions(such as off-off-Broadway and the like) and still retain a sense of gratitude for the small means they receive.

Reading about your experiences with the gratefulness of the Cheers cast, I have to say that sadly, I think those days are long gone, figuratively as well as literally. It's becoming more rare that you hear of youthful actors who are grateful for the chances directors/producers took on them, or that they praise the writers and crewmembers they work with. It's only older workhorses like Clint Eastwood who thank everyone down to the craft service department.

But then again, a friend of mine once said that the more secure an actor is in their talent, the more down-to-earth they are around other people. Katherine Heigl must be very insecure, indeed.

Here's hoping that within the next couple of years, people will wise up to her lack of talent, and she'll fade into obscurity. Maybe having to work in a dress shop or flip burgers for a living will bring back a sense of much-needed humility.

So this next part is dedicated to Lance. Who, I have to say is even MORE CLUELESS than ole Dougy here. In fact Lance makes Doug look like a Rhode Scholar by comparison. But as tedious as it is to read all of Lance’s boring mundane generic hatred ridden bull s**t, there are a few statements that caught my eye. “To anyone with 1/4 of a brain, it's obvious Heigl was NOT joking; she didn't even pretend at it. It's amazing to me how someone can have so much given to them, and still be ungrateful for it, when others dream of one day attaining such success and struggle in lesser-seen productions(such as off-off-Broadway and the like) and still retain a sense of gratitude for the small means they receive.”I didn’t know that paranormal mind reading abilities came with the “uncanny” skill of writing mediocre movie reviews Lancey. Because you just know Katherine Heigl SO well to know when she was joking and when she wasn’t right? I mean gosh you hit that right on the nail despite not knowing her and the obvious fact that anyone who lacks common sense could clearly see that said statement was followed by and stated before two POSITIVE statements about the show she works on. Yeah that doesn’t tell me she’s serious about her comment. In fact it would be anything BUT serious. Also it was on the DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW. I mean…really? Dude,come on. “But then again, a friend of mine once said that the more secure an actor is in their talent, the more down-to-earth they are around other people. Katherine Heigl must be very insecure, indeed.”

Well then your friend must be a very ignorant person if they are making assumptions about people they barely even know. I mean being famous I guess means that she’s insecure by trade eh? Wow what flawed logic dude. Seems like another spitefilled internet persona has entered the fourms.

“Yes, a chicken like you would indeed give away less about yourself. It IS a huge step from hiding in anonymity. I am not hiding at all. You are still too big a coward to own up to yourself.”

Maybe so. But this “Chicken” has still got you in a posting trap hook line and sinker. I might not be someone who’s important but then again neither are you. Again you’re a dime a dozen Celebrity wannabe blogger who’s can at best reach the status of someone like Melvin Crabtree or Perez Hilton. Again not a HUGE step, in fact it’s nothing to brag about. I’d rather have my anonymity than be another run of the mill half assed celebrity blogger. Wow what an original concept you got there. I’m soooo impressed.

“Well no one who knows me or my work has EVER called me a prude. If there is anything I am not, it's a prude. That one is 180 degrees away from the mark. Show me a prude who would ramble on about Gerard Butler's nipples. (Mmmmmm)”

You’re right. You are not a prude. My mistake. Cause a prude, as pompous as they are, aren’t intellectual lightweight’s who’s only Hollywood experience came from his living room and a few quasi unimportant shows and boast about their produces unknown plays. For someone who has worked the industry for 40 years, seems me that those 40 years have gone to waste. Again…who are you?

“What I am is a published author with multiple books, a produced playwright, TV, and radio writer, a former professional actor and comic, and someone who has worked in this industry for more than 40 years. Those "prima donna fantasies" have poured a lot of money into my account.”

Hmm well I put your name on “TEH internets” and I haven’t come up or seen anything remotely important or profound that you have done so there goes that. Again I’m not impressed at some back stage yahoo with a pseudo intellect mentality of a business he knows nothing about. As far as your money is concerned, your patrolling of these forums really doesn’t tell me that you’re wallets are bursting with money. In fact why you mentioned that is beyond me. Seems like an insecurity issue on your end.

“And who are you again? Your yellow streak is still uncontested. Mere unjustified smugness doesn't change the fact that you haven't had the balls to give your name when insulting people. I have.”

Possibly, but this “nobody” has still have the balls to call you out in your rather laughable celebrity status as some internet mogul who’s sensationalizing their internet celebrity cred trying to convince ME that you’re some big time superstar. Again, you’re just another chump change e-star who’s only claim to fame is being another gossiper with a few unimportant books.

PS: I took a look at some of your Books on amazon.com. Let’s see what a lot of em had to say. First off Only a total of 5 people reviewed your “lush Life” book. That alone makes me laugh. And you’re book is ranked 1,983,286 on their site. So again, you have yet to seriously impress me. But let’s see what some people have to say.

Here’s a snippit of what some people had to say.

“What starts out as fresh and witty soon becomes tedious. There is no doubt that McEwan posses a wicked sense of humor. However instead of capitalizing on it the reader is "treated" to the same joke over and over and over.”

“After finishing the 325 odd pages of Douglas McEwan's groaner of a book, he asserts that this was "the best writing of my life"

Live longer, babe.”

“NO STARS! The only reason the rating shows one star is because I was not given the option for none. After finishing "My Lush Life," I now understand the fervor that sometimes induces people to burn books -- or ban them. Mr. McEwan admittedly hopes his book will be derivative and reminiscent of the great camp classics of Patrick Dennis; but 'though the premise had promise, Mr. McEwan did not deliver.”

Hmm, looks like some people aren’t seeing the “importance” of your books. You’d think that a “Superstar” such as your self would’ve garnered better praises and have a larger ranking on a site like amazon.com. Again…what are you famous for?

I'm just popping by to share my sentiments on the use of digs involving the phrase "more money than I / people / real doctors" make in a year applied to any celebrity, writer, athlete, or other person in the public eye. I think they're smallish and tiresome.

The money's just an amplifier, folks. If a performer in a community theater production of GODSPELL behaved as Ms. Heigl purportedly has over the run of her career, I doubt they'd have as many defenders creeping out of the woodwork.

To the poster who used the phrase about people rushing to defend their deity/imaginary friend, you've hit the celebrity nail on the head.

So Since I like to keep the e-drama rolling, cause it’s just too much fun to see more intellectual cruiserweights spout off about things they know nothing about, let’s see what else is on here. “I know sarcasm VERY well. That, people, was not sarcasm. The people who are claiming it is WANT it to be, but I'm sorry, it ain't. And her feeling for the show comes out very clear when she is asked how much longer the show will run. She can barely disguise her feelings for it.”BWAHAHAHAHA!. Oh man this one here is just oozing with unintentional humor. Really dude? “people who are claiming that it’s sarcasm WANTS it to be sarcasm” are you for real? Please spare me this Freudian bull s**t dude. You’re not good at it. Neither is iamacat with their watered down yawnfest of a post. Also you are aware that she claimed she WANTED the show to run well right? But you’ll most likely come back with some mickey mouse reply on what she REALLY wants. God Tim W. people like you are so damn predictable.

"Seems like another spitefilled internet persona has entered the fourms."

That would be no one else on this thread but yourself, "Anonymous". And don't try to brag about having the balls to call out someone like Levine, myself, or ANYONE ELSE here, since you don't even possess the nerve to give out your real name.

Yes, my reviews must obviously be very mediocre, since my site continually gets hits from major countries around the planet on an hourly basis. What's the last thing YOU accomplished, aside from hiding in a corner of your basement while spewing random bile at others via the anonymity of the internet?(See? I even grant the possibility that you might own a basement yourself, rather than live in your parents')

You're the only one on this thread spreading "boring mundane generic hatred ridden bull s**t", pal. Re-examine your own life before trying to read others the riot act.

WOW so many comments.You obviously struck a cord with everyone. I like Heigl. She is talented but not in the Hepburn way but more the Jennifer Anniston way. She seems nice and a little self-deprecating, which is a good thing.So her movie wasn't so great. It was entertainment and it made some people laugh. Don't like her? don't go see the movie...big deal. You are the one whining....

Probably should be at the beach, but I just can't resist this feed. Whoever the Anonymouses are, they are keeping this beaten horse alive enough to kick it even harder. The whole blogging thing is still so interesting to me -- only been paying attention for a little while. And admittedly, I've had my say. But this Heigl drone (still have only seen her work in the latest commercial barrage from the producers who paid her lots of money to entertain them like a circus monkey) must have a seriously devoted PR firm trolling the internet to keep things straight in her meaningless career. We're not feeding starving kids in Africa here people - just giving our two cents on a subject that truly does not matter. So just put your name to your post. Or don't. I've come to appreciate the intrigue of not knowing the name of the frighteningly persistent defenders of blah blah blah no talent celebrity. In the meantime, us roadside gawkers are only gonna' assume that you either ARE this bad actress named Heigl, or you work for her. OR, even more pathetic, you wish you WERE her (again, whoever the hell she is), and therefore devote way too much time defending someone and something that really, truly -- PLEASE BELIEVE ME -- does not matter. Anonymouses, you are truly demented, and I mean that only in the most respectful, "thanks for the cheap entertainment you moron" kind of way.

“That would be no one else on this thread but yourself, "Anonymous". And don't try to brag about having the balls to call out someone like Levine, myself, or ANYONE ELSE here, since you don't even possess the nerve to give out your real name.”

Yeah but you see I’m not the one’s who give out generic hackneyed boring movie reviews as some half assed attempt to try and gain some shred of popularity via the internet. People like you, Levine and anyone else who share this same ole pompous holier than thou attitude are nothing but chump change. This is mainly for my own personal lulz. Which you and even the haters of this blog have contributed to ;-)

“Yes, my reviews must obviously be very mediocre, since my site continually gets hits from major countries around the planet on an hourly basis. What's the last thing YOU accomplished, aside from hiding in a corner of your basement while spewing random bile at others via the anonymity of the internet?(See? I even grant the possibility that you might own a basement yourself, rather than live in your parents')”

Yeah. And how many of those hits are from…you? Per say? You sure you aren’t grandstanding your own sense of mediocrity? Cause that’s what it looks like from here. I said this to Dougy and I’m going to say this to you. You’re just another dime a dozen internet blogging persona who relies on cheesy one liners and unfunny gimmicks to try and reach out to a fan base who’s taste in comedy doesn’t even surpass Carlos Mencia. Being an anonymous attacker may not be much. But being another movie crass movie reviewer is pretty unimpressive. These days anyone with a PC and a decent DVD collection is considered a movie critic. Your Roger Ebert wannabe attitude is pretty unimpressive in my eyes. But you want to know what I’ve accomplished? A pretty decent lulz war on this site and getting other so called “Reviewers” such as your self to give me some rather amusing posts. It’s something I’m quite proud of.

And was that a basement joke you just made? A basement joke? Really? My god are you that unoriginal that you have to resort to the age old “you live in a basement 24/7” joke like every other loser internet personality on the blogsphere? Lol, you amuse me ;-)

“Anonymouses, you are truly demented, and I mean that only in the most respectful, "thanks for the cheap entertainment you moron" kind of way.”

So, you are referring to the group of anonymous people here who didn’t leave their names, in the singular format…uhm, ok. But hey this cheap form of internet goes both ways oh inept one. So you deserve credit for this sense of mediocre amusement as well. So…yeah.

“Whoever the Anonymouses are, they are keeping this beaten horse alive enough to kick it even harder.”

Well yeah. No s**t Sherlock, I even stated so in a paragraph above. I mean I thought it would’ve been obvious at this point but internet personalities lack reading capabilities. Sorry, I apologize for that.

“But this Heigl drone (still have only seen her work in the latest commercial barrage from the producers who paid her lots of money to entertain them like a circus monkey) must have a seriously devoted PR firm trolling the internet to keep things straight in her meaningless career.”

Meaningless career? Ha!. Dude, this is Hollywood. All careers in the movie industry are “meaningless” you think all these Audrey Hepburn movies are going to cure cancer anytime soon? You think Michael Bay horrific big budget movies are going to stop world wide hunger in the near future? This is petty entertainment at best kid. It’s all meaningless. Especially aging bloggers who cling onto their glory days of Tinsel town by showing off the fact that they use to work on a show that was canceled years ago. Talk about a Real meaningless career. But I’m glad you think so highly of me as some PR trying to keep the peace with her. In fact it’s rather flattering. I thank you for that.

“We're not feeding starving kids in Africa here people - just giving our two cents on a subject that truly does not matter.”

No argument here.

“So just put your name to your post. Or don't. I've come to appreciate the intrigue of not knowing the name of the frighteningly persistent defenders of blah blah blah no talent celebrity.”

“defenders of blah blah blah no talent celebrity”…what the hell? That sentences makes no sense what so ever. And this is coming from a man who calls himself “Patrick of the internet.” because there’s only one Patrick in this world that surfs the internet right? Boy don’t you just stand out like a sore thumb.

“In the meantime, us roadside gawkers are only gonna' assume that you either ARE this bad actress named Heigl, or you work for her.”

Yes because all Hollywood actresses and actors spend all their time insulting other bloggers and care oh so much about what a handful of idiots think of her. Yeah, that makes sense. And if I were working for her, I’d probably get more perks than conversing with internet simpletons over a celebrity blog. Well I’d that too. But I’d also get free potato chips. And who doesn’t love potato chips?

“OR, even more pathetic, you wish you WERE her (again, whoever the hell she is), and therefore devote way too much time defending someone and something that really, truly -- PLEASE BELIEVE ME -- does not matter.”

So Now I am the actress for this discussion, then I was working for her and now I wish I was her? Can’t you make your mind of how you want to insult me? I mean you can’t even keep straight on THAT level, than at least make yourself sound somewhat more entertaining than the same tomfoolery that was reiterated from the previous idiot celebrity gossip defender. Sheesh is it too much to ask? But you’re right. Her career is so meaningless compared to as I stated before “aging bloggers who cling onto their glory days of Tinsel town by showing off the fact that they use to work on a show that was canceled years ago.” Cause gosh darn it, Celebrity gossiping is just full of so much meaning. I can just see someone like Melvin Crabtree or Lance above me curing cancer with their love for gossip rags.

I think someone's been missing their A.A. meetings (someone being the poor, sad soul up above). And with that I'll gracefully decline further comment on this subject. EXCEPT to say that any comments I made earlier about selfish, stupid people in this bloated society of ours, are only glorified further by all the Anonymouses of the world. Bill Maher is so right about this country. And Mr. Levine has simply tapped the obnxious well of American self-obsession when he let some of his readers know about this obnoxious hog of a pseudo-celebrity.

“I think someone's been missing their A.A. meetings (someone being the poor, sad soul up above). And with that I'll gracefully decline further comment on this subject. EXCEPT to say that any comments I made earlier about selfish, stupid people in this bloated society of ours, are only glorified further by all the Anonymouses of the world. Bill Maher is so right about this country. And Mr. Levine has simply tapped the obnxious well of American self-obsession when he let some of his readers know about this obnoxious hog of a pseudo-celebrity.”

Translation, bla bla bla, anonymous people suck bla bla bla, corny one liner insult here, bla bla bla, make a reference to a horrible topical comic who’s political humor is about as dry as a Steven Colbert Skit.

-Patrick The Internet Loser.

As Awesome from south park would say “Weak, lame”. Again, you’ve failed to impress me.

Funny thing is that while she had to work a 17 hour day, and probably made more in OT than most make in a year, to "act", her crew who work their ass off for 1/25 of what she makes most likely worked 20 hours.

Sorry Katherine, you had to work a few extra hours for three times as much pay. That's totally cruel.

Ya got me, Anon. I got three negative reader reviews on Amazon.com, sandwiched in between a couple rave reader reviews, which you failed to sight. The one about burning books you can actually find on my own website also, as I reposted it there myself amidst praise from Barry Humphries, Michael Musto, and some guy named Ken Levine.

The thing is, the professional reviews it received, from people who review books for a living, were all, without exception, positive.

How many books have you written and published? I've had two so far, and my third is on my editor's desk at this moment. Is that three more than your output or 4?

How many TV scripts have you written and had produced? I've had 1, which is a pittance next to Ken's record, but I'm guessing it's 13 more than you have.

How many plays have you written and had produced? I'm at three, with a musical I'm in the midst of writing now (which is why I'm on the computer day and night), which is being produced in London 15 months from now.

Have I become internationally-famous and rich? No, though I get fan mail from all over America and from readers in England and Australia. But I have kept at it, and kept producing work, and have received praise from over the years from as diverse a scattering as Groucho Marx, Gore Vidal, Rod Serling, and the aforementioned Barry Humprhies.

Your list of fans consists of who besides the voices in your head?

Where you get the idea that anonymous schoolyard heckling gives you any kind of moral high ground, I can not imagine. Your life must be empty indeed.

Your name isn't "DeGarmo by any chance? Nah. She always gave her name. She is a loon, but she has more balls than you.

I might take her bellyaching more seriously if she didn't bitch about everything all the time. I refuse to watch anything with her in it (even though it's seemingly the same character in different plots).

“Ya got me, Anon. I got three negative reader reviews on Amazon.com, sandwiched in between a couple rave reader reviews, which you failed to sight. The one about burning books you can actually find on my own website also, as I reposted it there myself amidst praise from Barry Humphries, Michael Musto, and some guy named Ken Levine.

The thing is, the professional reviews it received, from people who review books for a living, were all, without exception, positive.”

Sorry but 5 reviews does NOT count for “Raves” and “Positive feedback” in fact 3 out of 5 stars on, said site is rather pathetic. In fact it’s equivalent to that of K-fed’s Playing with fire. And I could care less what a few Hollywood Has been and a group of internet personalities have to say about the book of some boring internet blogging superstar such as your self has to say.

Fact I don’t see any of your books on these best sellers lists or what not. Hell not even a mention out of “Oprah’s Book club”so I hardly see any of your pointless publications of the generic Hollywood stereotype as “interesting readings” Again if you are trying to impress me, you have yet again failed.

“How many books have you written and published? I've had two so far, and my third is on my editor's desk at this moment. Is that three more than your output or 4?

How many TV scripts have you written and had produced? I've had 1, which is a pittance next to Ken's record, but I'm guessing it's 13 more than you have.

How many plays have you written and had produced? I'm at three, with a musical I'm in the midst of writing now (which is why I'm on the computer day and night), which is being produced in London 15 months from now.”

So now we have reached the “How many books, movies, TV shows have you’ve written?” generic argument eh? No wonder your book is ranked so low on Amazon.com and is literally non existent to the literary world. I may not have any books or TV scripts to my credit, then again If I were you, I wouldn’t be boasting about my less than stellar achievements that can only be described as ho hum at best.

Again I have yet to actually SEE something significant and something of IMPORTANCE that you have worked on. A few unheard of Television scripts are about as impressive as a popular internet fanfic author to me. Some WAY off Broadway play is no more important or relevant to me than the tabloid rags produced by the Daily Mail.

At least out of the years that KH has worked, she’s achieved something that you and your petty group of internet followers will never achieve in your life time. So good luck promoting your little pass time projects. I’ll be sure to pick up your next book in a few months at the used area from Amazon.

“Have I become internationally-famous and rich? No, though I get fan mail from all over America and from readers in England and Australia. But I have kept at it, and kept producing work, and have received praise from over the years from as diverse a scattering as Groucho Marx, Gore Vidal, Rod Serling, and the aforementioned Barry Humprhies.”

Wow fan mail from England and Australia? You sure showed me. I didn’t think it was possible for someone who’s an attention whore could appeal to people overseas through the WORLD WIDE WEB. Again am I supposed to be impressed because some brit and some aussie find your brand of stock and unoriginal humor entertaining? I hardly see this as “International acclaim” my friend. Your delusions of grandeur have. Because whoever put you in the same category as Gore Vidal and Groucho Marks either has bad taste or is about mentally deluded as you are.

That, and well I’ve seem to have garnered your attention very well. I mean if I’m catching the eye of the superstar internet movie mogul with three unimpressive books and a stock pile of TV scripts that will never be picked up, I think I’m doing pretty good. But I can’t imagine you to be that big of a hot shot if you’re spending your time arguing with someone anonymous douche bag by listing your minimal and meaningless accomplishments and boasting them as something larger than they really are. Your “Accomplishments” are average at best. And I maybe a nobody but again, I’m not putting my lowball achievements on a pedestal. Again, unimpressed.

“Where you get the idea that anonymous schoolyard heckling gives you any kind of moral high ground, I can not imagine.”

Moral…what? What the hell are you talking about? Where did I even MENTION anything about moral high ground or any of that pompous bull s**t? Seems to me you like to pull stuff out of your ass. Just like most of those fake praises that your delusional mindset has made up for you. I’m insulting you. Simple as that. I could care less about what you’ve done or plan to do with your meaningless existence. The fact that you’re making up stuff is just really sad.

“Your life must be empty indeed.”

Not so! I’ve got you babe ;-) and the rest of the yahoos on internet hater land to keep me entertained and occupied for a while. It’s my new favorite comedy club.

“Your name isn't "DeGarmo by any chance? Nah. She always gave her name. She is a loon, but she has more balls than you.”

True, but then she doesn’t have the ability to rake in a “e-celebrity” in some petty little online argument. Despite the fact that they have claims of being super important people of Hollywood. Because all important people of Hollywood spend their time in blogging wars right? And lack of testicular glands and what not, I’ve got that over her. So I win on that level ;-).

But hey, if it gives you some illusion of pride to shout off your makeshift importance of signing a name, then by all means continue to do so, I don’t want to deprive anyone of their false sense of hope and their only security blanket. But I seem to be garnering a lot of popularity now for an anonymous e-stranger. Which I got to thank you by the way for all the fun we’ve been having.

Well, I must return. If nothing else, but to bow to the trolling prowess of Sir Anonymous who has so thoroughly stripped me of any dignity with his final blow to my argument, and alas, my intelligence in general. So now, having been trounced by an incredibly deft reference from a minor character (the deeply carved, almost Cambelesque, and intensely written character's name was Awesome, was it not?) -- having been trashed by the scorching words of a paper cut out, post-adolescent cartoon sit-com, under five recurring role, I am left a heap on the side of the Super-highway. I mean who could possibly respond to a quote from a character named Awesome -- "Weak, lame". I am utterly demolished. I recind. I retreat. As a matter of fact, I feel so strongly about not being on par with you Sir Anonymous that I will now blow my brains out. Good bye cruel world ...

I'mmmmm baaaaaaaaaack! So I'm down here in hell with a dude named Satan (talk about a couple of haters, huh) And as it turns out, Duke Anonymous, you were absolutely right and I was wrong. Because Satan swears (he actually crossed himself when he swore -- cool, huh DUDE!) that this Heigl thing is a for real, big time star - a true Hollywood success as we used to say up there. He says that of all his special pre-screenings of his favorite mega-summer smash hits, Heigl's dead on portrayal of a sort of funny ingenue was better than -- if you can believe this -- Jennifer Lopez in Gigli. Oh wait, that wasn't a comedy... Well who's gonna' argue with Satan? And as far as he's concerned, Ishtar was only sort of better than The Ugly Truth. But really only because he loved all the brilliant comic musings on the desert sun in Ishtar.

As it turns out, he's gonna' let me move on since he and I have nothing in common. He's looking forward to the day he finally gets to have a beer with you though. I guess he doesn't need to know your name, him being Satan and all. Know what ahm sayin', DUDE?

- previously Patrick of the Internet, but now passed on ...

P.S. -- this blog actually has credible entertainmemt value (this post not included -- sorry, I had to try to stoop to the level of an idiot withoout a name) Its validity is epic in comparison to the alternatives like Grey's Anatomy and the other non-sense across the tube. And if you're only here to get off on dis-agreeing with me and others, than hey, whatever you nerd to do, DUDE. But might I suggest maybe you go back to your prime time soaps and leave this no name (there's a joke there if you look hard enough) to opine as he pleases. Or at least try to find better quotes to debase with than the ones you cherish from South Park. I mean, c'mpn DUDE, you really thought that you were cutting deep with that one. Even if you presumed me an adolescent myself and leapt out at me from behind the veil of your internet anonymity, all you had was, "Weak. lame." You are a sad, sad boy.

“Well, I must return. If nothing else, but to bow to the trolling prowess of Sir Anonymous who has so thoroughly stripped me of any dignity with his final blow to my argument, and alas, my intelligence in general.”

So it looks like Patrick the internet idiot is back. Funny because I could sworn he told me he was done, yet he continues to come back here for more verbal fun from yours truly. You are persistent Patty I will give you that. I mean don’t get me wrong. You’re dumb, clueless, have no clue what life is about, yet you continue to come back to give me more lulz. And for that alone, I got to give you credit. But alas, a troll’s work is never done. So away I ago. I have to say though it wasn’t really hard to insult your intelligence. You really didn’t have much to insult and it shows in this post of, rather nonsensical BS. I guess when you realized that your “argument” was senseless as well as almost every post you made, you’re now resorting to bad sarcasm eh? Well like I said, it makes for great lulz at that.

“So now, having been trounced by an incredibly deft reference from a minor character (the deeply carved, almost Cambelesque, and intensely written character's name was Awesome, was it not?) -- having been trashed by the scorching words of a paper cut out, post-adolescent cartoon sit-com, under five recurring role, I am left a heap on the side of the Super-highway.”

Actually that was my mistake, see unlike you, I own to my mistakes. The correct name was Awesome-o. Which was my bad. Kind of forgot the O at the end. But that’s not really a MINOR character at all. Any south park fan would tell you that AWESOME-O was portrayed by ERIC CARTMAN who is NOT a minor character. But I digress, you don’t want to hear about South Park or any of that crap, let’s get on with your “Post”. now shall we?

“I mean who could possibly respond to a quote from a character named Awesome -- "Weak, lame". I am utterly demolished. I recind. I retreat. As a matter of fact, I feel so strongly about not being on par with you Sir Anonymous that I will now blow my brains out. Good bye cruel world …”

-sigh- if only this were true. However I kind of had a feeling that you were going to rise from the ashes. After all, stupidity and internet idiocy never truly dies. Especially with someone named PATRICK OF THE INTERNET and still has the balls to insult anonymous posters. Because you’re not hiding behind a computer screen now are ya buddy? No of course not! Because there’s only ONE Patrick out of the entire world who surfs “TeH internets” and that’s all you baby. Wow do I feel burned.

“I'mmmmm baaaaaaaaaack! So I'm down here in hell with a dude named Satan (talk about a couple of haters, huh) And as it turns out, Duke Anonymous, you were absolutely right and I was wrong. Because Satan swears (he actually crossed himself when he swore -- cool, huh DUDE!) that this Heigl thing is a for real, big time star - a true Hollywood success as we used to say up there. He says that of all his special pre-screenings of his favorite mega-summer smash hits, Heigl's dead on portrayal of a sort of funny ingenue was better than -- if you can believe this -- Jennifer Lopez in Gigli. Oh wait, that wasn't a comedy... Well who's gonna' argue with Satan? And as far as he's concerned, Ishtar was only sort of better than The Ugly Truth. But really only because he loved all the brilliant comic musings on the desert sun in Ishtar.”

Really now? Well, ain’t that some crazy s**t. I didn’t know Satan was so insightful about Hollywood gossip and movie rankings. Well slap me side ways and call me Suzie. Here I am thinking he was just another hater who thinks that being an internet celebrity who holding onto their glory days of a show that’s LONG been cancelled was the true way to go for Hollywood stardom. I mean who ever heard of moving on from the past and focusing on the future? Not I said the cat. Because internet cred is all that matters in Hollywood. I mean who’s Katherine Heigl, a television AND movie star compared to Ken Levine, who’s only current claim to fame is being an internet blogger? I mean you would think that someone who worked on Cheers and other shows as such would move on their life, but one look at his imdb track record would show that he has done nothing since 2004. What an inspiration. In fact his latest show It’s All Relative was such hot potatoes that it lasted a Whopping ONE SEASON! -gasp-

“As it turns out, he's gonna' let me move on since he and I have nothing in common. He's looking forward to the day he finally gets to have a beer with you though. I guess he doesn't need to know your name, him being Satan and all. Know what ahm sayin', DUDE?”

Well hot doggie! You got your self some Will Smith Ebonics going on there varmint! Ima gonna hafta dust off the ole Ebonics dictionary to keep up with ya, cause yall just got that hip hop and poppin fresh lingo down cold! Woo wee. How am I gonna keep up with all dem yo yo yos?

“P.S. -- this blog actually has credible entertainmemt value (this post not included -- sorry, I had to try to stoop to the level of an idiot withoout a name)”

….bwahahahahahaha oh man you are too funny. Credible “entertainment” that’s a good one there Patty. Wow, oh thanks for the laugh I needed it. But you’re right I’m such an idiot “with out” a name. Because all Rhode Scholars such as yourself have given me SUCH a clear idea of what your true identity is. You’re not being hypocritical at all. Boy is my face red Patrick. I am truly sorry. Please except my apologies. I’m now going to commit Hari Kari because you have shown me SUCH epic logistic skills.

“Its validity is epic in comparison to the alternatives like Grey's Anatomy and the other non-sense across the tube.”

Oh no argument there. I mean I couldn’t stop laughing at this post. Hell the parts I am currently responding to are filled with the funniest unintentional BS that I have ever seen from some internet moron who’s about as hypocritical as every other anonymous poster out there. I will give you that. It does have valid entertainment value. Not the way you hoped though Patster.

“And if you're only here to get off on dis-agreeing with me and others, than hey, whatever you nerd to do, DUDE.”

Whatever I NERD to do…uhm ok. Whatever I NERD to do…that makes sense…o_O

“But might I suggest maybe you go back to your prime time soaps and leave this no name (there's a joke there if you look hard enough) to opine as he pleases.”

Leave this no name to his opine as he pleases? The only joke there is to laugh at how stupid this sentence sounds. If you’re going to call me an idiot and what not, then at least make your own posts sound halfway decent. I mean I could careless how you type and speak. Look at my own BS. But if you’re going to try and insult my intelligence, do it right. Please? I Beg of you? With sugar on top?

“Or at least try to find better quotes to debase with than the ones you cherish from South Park. I mean, c'mpn DUDE, you really thought that you were cutting deep with that one.”

Actually, no I wasn’t. In fact I wasn’t even TRYING because instigating a fight with you is no challenge. So I just said what I thought your last post was, Weak and Lame. Taken from a “minor south park character” (C’MON…Do some research DUDE.) that and I knew you’d come back sooner or later to insult me for it. Which you did, even though your obvious obsession with me kept drawing you back for more. I didn’t know I had that much draw over you lol. I guess fun at the beach is nothing compared to internet wars right? Oh yeah Pat, your life is just so much better than mine.

“Even if you presumed me an adolescent myself and leapt out at me from behind the veil of your internet anonymity, all you had was, "Weak. lame." You are a sad, sad boy.”

Says the man who claims that people should leave me to my opinions, yet comes back in full attack mode with a rather unintentional comedy post which can only be considered, cheap amusement at best. And says the man who ALSO is hiding behind his precious little computer monitor. God, you’re SUCH a champion to the people Patty. You’re not contradicting yourself at all.

"Sorry but 5 reviews does NOT count for 'Raves' and 'Positive feedback'."

By "the professional reviews it received, from people who review books for a living, were all, without exception, positive," i was not referring to Internet reader reviewers, but paid reviewers in newspapers and magazines. All my professional reviews were highly positive, some raves. NT Times best seller? No. But it sold respectably, and made enough of a profit for a sequel to come out.

And my overall point is that actual accomplishment, on any level, is superior to NO accomplishment at all, which so far as we can establish, describes your output.

"Some WAY off Broadway play"

Actually, having a musical produced in the heart of London's West End, which is where my musical is being staged, is in fact a bigger deal than Broadway.

"Wow fan mail from England and Australia? You sure showed me. I didn’t think it was possible for someone who’s an attention whore could appeal to people overseas through the WORLD WIDE WEB."

Nothing at all to do with the internet. These are people who bought, in books stores, read, and loved one or both of my books. Nothing to do with the internet.

"whoever put you in the same category as Gore Vidal and Groucho Marks either has bad taste or is about mentally deluded "

Actually it was Mr. Vidal and Mr. Marx themselves who told me to my face how much they had enjoyed my work. Seeing and hearing Gore Vidal laugh as he read a joke of mine will forever be a highlight of my life, just as your childish blather here is the sole highlight of yours. And Groucho Marx saying to me face-to-face that he had seen some TV shows I had written, and that he thought I was "a very funny writer" trumps anything you could ever say to me.

“Your list of fans consists of who besides the voices in your head?”"That, and well I’ve seem to have garnered your attention very well."

Behaving like a jackass may well get you attention (as, let's be frank, you are the true attention whore here), but I am not your "fan." Do you have any? Even one? Oh wait, you actually have to do something first.

"a stock pile of TV scripts that will never be picked up"

In my whole life, I have written exactly one unproduced TV script, and that was only because the star died, and the shoot had to be cancelled. And that script is, in fact, being published, within a real book in real stores, next year. So I have no "stockpile of TV scripts that will never be picked up," just a file of ones that were produced, and loved, judging from the mail I still get from people who saw them on TV years ago.

"I think I’m doing pretty good."

Doing what?

"Your 'Accomplishments' are average at best"

So the average American has published books, produced plays and TV shows? There's some news.

"“Your name isn't "DeGarmo by any chance? Nah. She always gave her name. She is a loon, but she has more balls than you.” "True, but then she doesn’t have the ability to rake in a 'e-celebrity' in some petty little online argument."

Assuming "e-celebrity' refers to me, she certainly did. She popped into this mix as I had a not-disimilar bout with her here last year, as did Ken. When you absolutely do not know what you're talking about, you really ought to shut up.

"And lack of testicular glands and what not, I’ve got that over her. So I win on that level"

I fail to see that you win anything, aside from The Asshole Olympics. And your cowardice remains at the forefront.

Unlike many of the people on this post I have never seen a single episode of Grey’s Anatomy and have no ambition to do so. I only know Heigl from Knocked Up, her performance on Roswell was completely forgettable. I will give her the due she is deserved, her performance in Knocked Up was good, despite the fact she didn’t like the material (which was news to everybody involved with the film).

Many terms have been used to describe Mrs. Heigl’s attitude in recent years, but the two terms that have surfaced most often lately are “ungrateful” and “hypocrite”. Hypocrite? A person who cashed in on being eye candy in Maxim magazine and many other publications considering themselves a “Feminist”, please miss me with that bull shit. As an artist I have know many feminists in my time and the photos they take are creating a narrative that is bringing to light women’s issues. Heigl’s photos were nothing more then I'm sexy and I am cashing in on it; please give me the attention I deserve. Mrs. Heigl, you are not a “feminist”, you are an “opportunist” and there is nothing wrong with that so long as you don’t deny it, but you did and you dragged down feminists with you. Being opinionated doesn’t make you a feminist just like driving a car doesn’t make you a formula 1 driver. Feminist?? Let’s see, plot of new movie is that women need a man to be complete, yes there you go.Hypocrite?? Check.

Ungrateful?It’s a track record you’ve left in your wake, from Grey’s Anatomy to Knocked Up, still waiting to see if you think The Ugly Truth is sexist a week from now. Ungrateful?? Check.

If you want to see someone who has made many sarcastic statements about the vehicles that have gotten him his stardom but was always appreciative of the opportunity that those vehicles provided him then check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5xuWO2tGwU

At the end of the day if you can handle it like that (professionally) you just may someday be considered a class act, but that doesn’t seem like its going to happen any time soon.

Holy... Wow. This is my first visit to your blog, and I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the legs this media monster has gotten. It does make me wonder how much the genuine issues (of Heigl; of Apatow and Rogen) are perpetuated and/or embraced as a sort of word-of-mouth marketing tool by the big guys.

Also, thanks for the CHEERS anecdote. It's nice to see how the old days were. I don't know if you've answered this before, but what are some of the most obvious changes you've seen over the past twenty years when it comes to the standard production model? Any improvements, or do you see a decline across the board?

Are you enjoying the Seth Rogen/Judd Apatow quotes regarding Ms. Heigl? I know I am.

I saw the KH interview too, and clearly, she was not joking. What people are thinking when they try to spin her comments, I can't imagine.

She's facing a pair of diva mini-scandals now, just as she's got the worst reviewed movie of the summer in release- in a season that gave us Transformers 2. Her star is on the wane. Watching her play mothers of kidnapped children in a small string of identically forgettable Lifetime movies will be the greatest gift for all of her Grey's Anatomy cast and crew.

I completely agree with you. I honestly don't believe that she was joking, she clearly wouldn't haved added the "I’m going to keep saying this because I hope it embarrasses them." People who really like her want to believe that it's a joke, because if they didn't they would have to see her for how she really is: A spoiled brat who has let the fame get to her head. You don't believe me, check out the comment she said about her role in "Knocked up", way to shit on the movie that partially made you're carreer. (ps; What the hell is she whining about anyway, her character in greys is in bed with cancer all the fucking time, jeez poor katherine, she had to be in bed for 17 hours, how exhausting).

Andy Said... YOU are the idiot. How unintelligent can you be? The sarcasm came in Way later, she obviously thought that she had to change the tone of the interview before she once again appeared as an ungrateful actress. Complaining about a 17 hours shift, she needs to come back to earth and realize that there are DOCTOR (the moron plays one), teachers, nurses ans other profession that put in 12-17 hours a day. She needs to THINK before she speaks, her mother should have taught her to have MANNERS.

Andy said... you are an idiot. Are that unintelligent? the sarcasm came in WAY later. KH knew she had to change the tone of the interview before she appeared like a total bitch. There was NO sarcasm when she complained about her 17 hour shift. KH can jump in the idiot wagon too. Who works 17 hours shifts? Hmmm let me think about this for a while.... DOCTORS (the idiot plays one), teachers (yes, they put in much than what you think), and nurses just to name a few.

KH should THINK before she speaks, her mother should have taught her to have manners.

I don't think she was joking either. I probably would give her the benefit of the doubt, but there's just been too much talk over the years about her whiny, ungrateful behavior for me to believe there isn't at least a little foundation for it. Even way back in the Roswell days, I remember talk of her badmouthing that show and its runners as well. I just don't think the diva rumors would be so pervasive and enduring if there wasn't a kernel of truth to them. It doesn't help that she often seems to confirm her reputation in her public appearances. I think the moment that solidified it for me was when she oh so graciously orrected the announcer at the Emmy's. That was classy.

i don't want to have to sign in to an email to post my comment but i do have a name and i'll sign this after i finish my comment. i've known about katherine heigl ever since she was modeling and then got into into, not by choice but often by default. i know her from whilemina because i follow that agency. i know her from roswell because i loved that show. i know her from some of her movies that i've watched, often giving it a lengthly berth after hearing that she was in them because i know how she is/has been. i don't watch greys anatomy and although it has some good writing, i will not and have not ever watched that show because she is on that show. i will not watch 27 dresses, TUG, or anything she is in whether i actually like the other people involved in the piece from the tech departement or the stars because once again she is in all those pieces.

i am a human being. i am a hypocrite. i believe in decency although i may not reciprocate that ideology. i recognize people like me when i see them. i am a whiner and ungrateful, and extreemly hard working, focused, generous, always puts other people first. i mean just like every person i have good and bad to me. i know when to be understanding, professional, upstanding, and also when to be an ass. katherine heigl is an ass. she has many good qualities about her but she always manages to show her true nature, even when she tries (not very hard because unlike some people she does speak her mind...even if it is undesirable)to keep it underwraps. she has been this way ever since she was modelling. i would hear, seconhand, from other models, photographers, agents, people who worked with her about her diva behaviour even as a youngster. it's actually sad because her mother is a very very very very nice lady. for every time that i have ever come across the career of one ms heigl...she's been taking a huge douche about something. she complains complains and complains and you know what lol she does have a sarcastic type of humour, but she is not a comedian and no one should expect her to be because even when she's being funny it looks like it pains her and she's sitting on a toilet trying so hard to take a dump. i mean i am stupid and i understand she has lots of fans, although i think she is a mediocre/passable actor, much like she was a model, and i understand that people like her, infact i LIKE her...but i know how she is and she never surprises me when she opens her mouth because she is exactly who people mean when they use the term 'douche'. that's who she is. i mean she is nice, charming, pretty, stong minded, but she's also selfish, a double talker, very brash but to the point where she doesn't know that she's being offensive and cannot stop herself. that's been my observations of her. she was not joking because she actually does this all the time when she's making rounds/doing promotions and people who know her are used to the way she is...except that there's a perception out there that she's something she's not. she is incredibly nice. she will complain behind your back if there's something wrong before making it known. some people who work with her will never know that she hates what she's doing because she has perfected the art of her face/voice saying one thing and her entire body language actually giving out signals about what she is thinking. i think it's unfortunate but she's a real person too. she is a fake artist. she doesn't appreciate what it takes to be where she's at. she thinks it's okay to behave the way she does all the time and always get away with it. people think just because she is apparently famous now that kh is acting out of character for her, and the reality is she's not.

-m.a.a heigl fan. i hope she maybe gets a reality check and realizes that she still needs to continue in her chosen craft because she's a bad actor and an even worse model. i want her to succeed...which she is in $$ terms because i don't want her to be what everyone expects of her. i've come to expect all that i wrote above about her and it's disappointing. i was also disappointed when a good guy i worked with became her husaband...but i hope they are/continue to be really happy and that she doesn't do him dirty because he doesn't deserve it and is too good for her childish behaviour.

It seems like a lot of people here don't know the difference between a Joke and a comment. I mean you would think that anyone stating it TWICE and followed before AND after the comment with a POSITIVE comment would see that she clearly WAS joking, I mean you don't follow a hate comment with a POSITIVE ONE both before and AFTER her comment. Then again you're bound to find a few idiots here on haters haven

eh 7/31/2009 10:22 PM? I guess all that petty spite has clouded your already bad judgment. Maybe should take a course in common sense. I'll flip the bill for you. Wouldn't want you to be TOO stupid now. Any improvement of what you currently ARE would be a good thing. It's much better than reading your unintelligent dribble on why you feel she WASN'T joking. I guess that's the stupid hater logic talking though.

All those who think it was a joke must be the damage control team for Heigl. If you "Anonymous" guys believe that she was being sarcastic I have a bridge to sell you. Look at the video, she is whining like an ungrateful brat, the same way she whined about the writers when she was speaking to a ghost last season. That show (Greys) is for a fact the only reason she has a career.

Actually, you do surround a negative comment with seemingly positive ones when you want to say something mean but you don't want to look bad. Back-handed "compliments" and barbed remarks shrouded in "humor" and then claiming to be "just kidding", as well as blaming others for being humor-less or too sensitive when called on it, is classic bitchy, passive-aggressive behavior.

"I put it to you that no actor ON EARTH would work the hours that medical residents, rookie firefighters and cops, and actual military work for the money they actually make. The job of 'actor' isn't important enough."

I think you are mistaking the job of "actor" with "celebrity." Tens of thousands of actors work those hours all the time, for next to nothing or nothing. I work 40 hours a week on top of theater work 6 nights a week or more. It happens all the time in the theater, where one often works on both sides of the stage to put up plays. Touring actors rehearse/travel/build and tear down sets moving from town to town, school to school. It is not always consistently the exact hours of an ER intern, true. But actors usually have one or two jobs on top of their performance/rehearsal schedule, with no days off.

While I agree acting isn't a necessity, per se, educational theater can be powerful, particularly when children can open up and ask questions about things to performers after a presentation. They ask things privately they do not feel comfortable asking any police officer or teacher or parent - about being gay, being raped or sexually abused, the list goes on. I've seen illiterate, inner city kids find a voice through performance. People have told me some things I've been a part of has changed their lives. I certainly had my life changed by some plays/films/tv tackling social injustices, taboo subjects, etc. Entertainment/performance is important enough to make a lot of money, even today.

I agree, the people who serve our communities should always be the highest paid (along with teachers, let's not forget them).

If you look at the overall acting population in the U.S., less than 1% are making anything close to the sort of salary Heigl gets, ever. And those are just the ones lucky enough to be in a union. Most of them don't get consistent, paid work. Most do it for free, so I have to take exception with the comment no actor would work for hours on end each day, for a "paltry" medical resident's salary. We do it all the time, and we are grateful to take anything away for it.

The fact we do this makes it beyond difficult to feel any sympathy for Ms. Heigl.

Actors do not equal celebrities. They're often separate beasts, although you wouldn't know that to talk to most folks.

Acting is difficult. Try doing a 6-week rehearsal schedule, and then a 6-week performance schedule 4 nights a week, on your feet for hours, for free, on top of working a day job. You are judged on things you cannot control, in a way unacceptable in nearly every other field, like your height, your voice, your looks. Nepotism is rampant. Some of the most talented folks I know are not guaranteed consistent work. Critics make their living commenting about you, sometimes snarkily, in print and in public. Often it's for things out of your control as well. (Like the way you were directed.)

It's not ER work, sure. I have relatives in trauma work and I prefer the play-acting any day. It's still not for the faint of heart. I consider it a privilege to do so, all the same.

It's your JOB as an actor to justify what they have written for you. You think your "Gray's" scripts are difficult, Katherine? Try Beckett on for size.

I also improvise and write (theatrically produced) scripts myself. I know how important a good actor is as part of the process. As Mr. Levine commented with the crew-laden "Cheers" read-through, all it takes is a bad actor to screw up the best words.

I liked that Heigl stood up for her friend when he was outed and discriminated against, definitely. But she needs to remember her luck. As a member of the less-than-1% club, she's beyond replaceable. I know much more talented actors who never get her opportunities, not for want of trying.

While I suspect being famous is harder than it looks, it's part of your job not to complain about your extremely good fortune. Pretty doesn't last, and it's rare fame does, either.

I'll tell you, this feed has been so worth following for me - if nothing else, but to get to the post from M. Green. I think I tried to word this same sentiment earlier, but hearing it from someone else, and phrased differently, it makes even better sense. And it is a sentiment that is very important to many talented artists that may never get the shot that a pretty face with connections might get. Unfortunately, this sentiment comes off sounding bitter. and to many, just a cop-out. But believe me it is definately not those things.

I would only note though, M. Green, that it is an incredibly unfortunate fact that most people don't consider all the work of many theatre artista (i.e. "actors" who don't file taxes with this professional title) -- people who do other jobs to pay the rent -- to be real actors. "Actor" has become, and possibly always has been, a word that denotes a profession. And to become "famous" in this position, most of the time you need to have a personality like Heigl. There are very few down to earth, kind and grateful actors in this country. Kind, grateful and down to earth and celebrity actor are words that are completely incongruous MOST of the time. I know there are examples that prove otherwise, but for too few.

Anyway, thank you M. Green for the post. And again, thank you Mr. Levine for the forum. I'm sure there are many that comment on this blog site that would not agree with much of what I just said, (or maybe even could care less) There were some that seemed to want to take this discussion to some fanatical level of "leave the poor famous actress alone". But regardless of all this, and even regardless of the fact that I may have been paying way too much attention to all of this Heigl non-sense (again, I have only seen some of her asshole interviews - never saw her perform a scene) I still feel that it was worth following, if for no other reason, but to hear M. Green's opinion. That opinion matters to many unknown "actors" with great abilities, zero ego and pretense and no career to show for all their insanely work ethic.

I too was upset by George's personality transplant. I realized at the time I hated hating George. I blamed Shonda. I really loved George. He was not, as Izzie once said "the glue" that held everyone together - that would be Meredith (count the number to times she made or kept the peace in that "family" of hers) but still: good guy. I could relate to him.

Katie: loved it when she stood up for TR, didn't argue when she found nothing Emmy worthy to submit - refreshing honesty? on someone else's work.. but a chance for Sandra or Chandra to win.

This, however, I'm sorry - it's over. I want her to stay, cause Justin does great work with her.

As you might guess, Ellen is my favorite. Love her charcter (no more waffling) love the actress too, I think. I hear she has an effervescent personity. I think she's probably nice.

Oh, and I don't think she was "whining" about TR - just saying she missed him. But the 17 hour gripe is a deal breaker for me.

I will still watch, as it's my favorite show. But I won't see her movie.

If the actors talked about their TV shows honestly there would be just a few shows that could be seen positively. TV is not a land of art but mediocrity. Granted movies are not better mostly but at least we just spend two hours for them in total. Some of the Lost actors complained about their storylines as well and they were right. The writers write sh** and it's the actors who have to act them.

Ken, way to wake up the Trolls...is there anything more annoying than a pissing match with anonymous commenters (aka online hecklers) totally gone off topic?

What was the topic again? Oh yeah, hating Katie Heigl. Joking or not, the girl comes off as an ingrate and has pretty much pissed off everyone she's ever worked with.

And she needs to work on her public persona. I applaud honesty, but there is a time and place for such things. If you're going to air your grievances publicly, then you have to accept the repercussions.

She is super ungrateful.I wish she would stop appearing on Tv & in Movies. She is a waste of acting.She should be grateful, but is not.Kudos to you for writing this. The people that read this can see, it is damn expensive to make a tv show.

For the life of me, I couldn't possibly read all comments without needing another life to get on with mine afterwards, and I'm not so sure about reincarnation, so -- my 2 cents. Actresses are notoriously unaware of their surrounding, so that could be one thing. She is not thinking what the shifting of schedules implies, thinks overtime happens all the time. (In a way that's true) Second: She is trying to have the producers take it easy on her, perhaps a bargain in exchange for her not bailing. But who knows, it could be that to do so would be bad publicity, bad strategy, or maybe she simply can't (after all hurting ABC must be no laughing matter with Disney in toto). And she is putting pressure the only way an actor knows how, playing the victim. She is probably in need to grow as an actor, and all this energy is being dispersed at the moment by a career that needs to focus on quality rather than anything else, or it would start going around in circles (and probably is already) I do wish her the best, but actors need to be a bit more aware, and hung up on their handlers more often than not.

I've always been a fan of Katherine Heigl but come on, these comments are purely uncalled for. What really shocked me is what she said about "Knocked Up" depicting women as "shrews", without any remorse. I'm almost certain that movie made her the rom-com queen that she is.

It's unfortunate that someone can be so oblivious to what they're doing to themselves and their career. That being said, her new movie looks terrible anyway. I'm not sure if I'll be buying tickets to see her movies anymore. And honestly, I won't be surprised if her character is killed off on Grey's.

All those who think it was a joke must be the damage control team for Heigl. If you "Anonymous" guys believe that she was being sarcastic I have a bridge to sell you. Look at the video, she is whining like an ungrateful brat, the same way she whined about the writers when she was speaking to a ghost last season. That show (Greys) is for a fact the only reason she has a career.

SN I am curious to see where your degree in mind reading abilities comes in because the way you speak, it makes you sound like you automatically ASSUME you know what she was thinking. Your laughable statement about playing damage control is quite inaccurate and rather laughable at best. Because as much as I do like her, there were moments were I wasn’t too fond of her. Her Grey’s comment I was actually quite surprised at. So no this isn’t damage control. More so giving a group of moronic haters a lesson in common sense.

This bridge that you sold us is filled with more holes and errors than a dilapidated crap hole. See if you looked at the ABOVE post I made my reasons clear on WHY she was joking. Any idiot can see that she had that comment before and AFTER two positive ones. Nobody changes their mind that quickly while doing an interview. What you see as whining is actually a regular tone. In fact she didn’t even SPEAK per say in an interview about her time on GA. SO again, your theory falls short.

“I'll tell you, this feed has been so worth following for me - if nothing else, but to get to the post from M. Green. I think I tried to word this same sentiment earlier, but hearing it from someone else, and phrased differently, it makes even better sense. And it is a sentiment that is very important to many talented artists that may never get the shot that a pretty face with connections might get. Unfortunately, this sentiment comes off sounding bitter. and to many, just a cop-out. But believe me it is definately not those things.”

Beep beep beep. There goes my Cop out detector. Has to be the works of a moronic blogger that goes by the name Patrick. Isn’t this the typical response of a fool who doesn’t know what they are talking about? Bitching about other famous celebrities because they so called “people” they know never made it? That’s what we call a cop out. A petty stupid Strong Man argument that holds no merit except for the fact that it makes the poster sound like a fool. Cause here is a little TRUTH Paty. EVERYONE in the business eventually has CONNECTIONS to get roles and parts and what not. EVERYONE will and probably already DOES know someone else to get far or at least to a certain level of success. What this IS, is a bitter comment and as stated before a “Cop out” on your end.

“"Actor" has become, and possibly always has been, a word that denotes a profession. And to become "famous" in this position, most of the time you need to have a personality like Heigl. There are very few down to earth, kind and grateful actors in this country. Kind, grateful and down to earth and celebrity actor are words that are completely incongruous MOST of the time. I know there are examples that prove otherwise, but for too few.”

What a stupid argument. The Term ACTOR means someone Who ACTS. Be it a profession or be it a part time profession for free, it’s still a JOB to put on a performance of some sort. Your entire first part is irrelevant and just shows how ignorant you are in your posts. You apparently don’t know the difference between OPINIONATED and DOWN TO EARTH. Because if you were, PATTY, you wouldn’t make your argument sound so one sided. It is possible to be opinionated and DOWN TO EARTH. I am honestly convinced that you have no idea what you are talking about, because if you did you RESEARCH you would find that a LOT of tv actors are DOWN TO EARTH per say.

Very disturbing that you feel compelled to "hate" this woman for rather trivial matters. All I can surmise is that you, and many others who have posted comments here, are internally troubled in some way to feel such a need to bash someone so extremely for very little reason. Hate is a strong word and should be used wisely. How sad that "intelligent", well educated people should revert to such base immaturity :-(

>> "I put it to you that no actor>> ON EARTH would work the hours>> that medical residents, rookie>> firefighters and cops, and>> actual military work for the>> money they actually make. The>> job of 'actor' isn't important>> enough."

> I think you are mistaking the> job of "actor" with "celebrity."> Tens of thousands of actors work> those hours all the time, for> next to nothing or nothing. I> work 40 hours a week on top of> theater work 6 nights a week or> more. It happens all the time> in the theater, where one often> works on both sides of the stage> to put up plays. Touring actors> rehearse/travel/build and tear> down sets moving from town to> town, school to school. It is> not always consistently the> exact hours of an ER intern,> true. But actors usually have> one or two jobs on top of their> performance/rehearsal schedule,> with no days off.

I have friends who have been doing community theater for the entirety of the 34 years I've known them, and I know the hours they put on their own time after their day jobs in building sets, sewing costumes, running lines, so that they could put on professional quality shows (some of them former Equity members before I knew them, when they lived in New York or Los Angeles), here in St. Louis where there is no Equity office, no Equity-waiver theater, only able to occasionally get a local car-dealer or supermarket commercial voice acting job (or, just once, as extras in a locally-filmed segment of America's Most Wanted). And I don't deny the importance of traveling educational theater which you cite, or the powerful effect it can have on children.

But my friends are not wielding water hoses for twelve hour stretches when the air temp is zero and the wind chill is -20 in order to save someone's house, or when the air temp is 98 and so is the humidity percentage while wearing heavy turnout gear. My friends are not running into burning buildings instead of out of them, for less salary than my wife earns as a legal secretary sitting at a desk in a heated-in-winter, air-conditioned-in-summer office.

My friends are not the eyeglassed, grey-haired, overweight, obviously near-retirement desk sergeant who after I flagged him down, wearing no bullet-proof vest, physically gulped, steeled himself, and drew his weapon to walk into a store without backup, where an armed robbery was in progress.

My friends are not the neurology residents I have known who worked 36-hour shifts even when they themselves were sick with diarrhea or the flu, because there was nobody else who could do their jobs.

> If you look at the overall> acting population in the U. S.,> less than 1% are making anything> close to the sort of salary> Heigl gets, ever. And those are> just the ones lucky enough to be> in a union. Most of them don't> get consistent, paid work. Most> do it for free, so I have to> take exception with the comment> no actor would work for hours on> end each day, for a "paltry"> medical resident's salary. We> do it all the time, and we are> grateful to take anything away> for it.

I am not denigrating your work, nor those of the friends I mention above, nor how important an emotional effect can be. I am comparing the hours and salary plus taking into account the sheer physical discomfort and outright danger.

> Actors do not equal celebrities.> They're often separate beasts,> although you wouldn't know that> to talk to most folks.

I do in fact know the difference between working actors who are not stars, and (for examples) Paris Hilton or Kevin Federline, just as I know the difference between working writers with deadlines such as Mr. Levine or Mark Evanier or Harlan Ellison and people doing (again, for example) fan fiction for their own amusement at their own pace.

> Acting is difficult. Try doing> a 6-week rehearsal schedule, and> then a 6-week performance> schedule 4 nights a week, on> your feet for hours, for free,> on top of working a day job. > You are judged on things you> cannot control, in a way> unacceptable in nearly every> other field, like your height,> your voice, your looks. > Nepotism is rampant. Some of> the most talented folks I know> are not guaranteed consistent> work. Critics make their living> commenting about you, sometimes> snarkily, in print and in> public. Often it's for things> out of your control as well.> (Like the way you were> directed.)

Yes, I've seen the Richard III sequence of The Goodbye Girl. [smile]

> It's not ER work, sure. I have> relatives in trauma work and I> prefer the play-acting any day.> It's still not for the faint of> heart. I consider it a> privilege to do so, all the> same.

I've done some community theater myself. I did it for my own ego. I worked in a stroke/brain injury rehab unit for five years, as an orderly and clerk, doing standard unheroic eight-hour shifts, until I could no longer take the emotional misery of seeing so many broken people on top of discovering my own son had a permanent, incurable birth defect. But before I had to stop, I was doing it for my patients.

For me, that was the difference.

WV: weekel -- Superman's cousin for whom a yellow sun did no good, including his understanding of homonyms.

She is such a mean whiner! The show is the only reason she got famous. I have put in 17 hour days and got paid only for 8. Lets talk about the elephant in the room: the reason she got the job in the first place is her huge tits, that is all she has going for her.

I agree with what you said. What surprises me is that Shonda Rhimes not only lets her get away with it, she gives Heigl what she wants when she does whine. Instead of writing her off the show after the Emmy whine (which she well could have done with such strong actresses as Sandra Oh, Chandra Wilson and Sara Ramirez still in the cast, she wrote Heigl a starring storyline while Oh and Ramirez got very little. Now she's accomodating Heigl and discommodating everyone else. Way to reinforce the attitude, Shonda.

On House, through no fault of their own, Jesse Spencer and Jennifer Morrison were shoved into recurring cameo roles and three new actors hired to replace their characters. When Morrison said in an interview that the new team seemed very much like the old one, she was punished by disappearing off the show entirely for six episodes in a row and then her character was made into a nitwit. Harsh punishment for saying what most of the audience was already thinking.

Being Shonda Rhimes' pet is clearly a much better position to be in than a supporting character on House.

First, I apologize, I don't understand the instruction to use the name/URL option. My first name is Mary. I wanted to add that I totally agree with you. I first that that KH was refreshingly honest and loyal when she stood up for TR Knight. The more she opens her mouth: complaining about bad storylines on Grey's (without which, she'd be nothing), complaining that "Knocked Up" was sexist and belittling her character (then starring in that possibly more sexist "The Ugly Truth," and I wouldn't exactly call "27 Dresses" as something that breaks feminist ground), then complaining about her work schedule at Grey's (as you said, she was NOT kidding during that interview, and I've worked quite a few 17 hour days without getting her salary), and now, I see by IMDB that she was cut from the upcoming movie "Valentine's Day" (2010) due to salary demands. This is a movie that is mostly made up of stars, all of whom are of greater caliber and stature than she (Shirley McClaine, Anne Hathaway, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, and on and on), yet HER salary demands were too high. Oh, and it would have been an opportunity to work with the wonderful Garry Marshall. She is WAY TOO full of herself! She needs to be taken down a peg or two (or three). Oh, and one last thing, although she wears clothes well, she kept showing up in tabloids in a bikini this past summer, and she is one flabby, droopy girl. Thank you for a place to vent. I "googled" "I hate Katherine Heigl" and was very happy to find you (plus quite a few other hits, so there are more out there!)

She's a gorgeous and talented lady..With a lot of money..That she has definitely worked hard for.But I will say that I see her WAY too much..To the point where she is just a tad annoying. But any great song on the radio can be over played.She should keep going, just not too far.

i think that all of you that write all of those mean things about her are just a bunch of losers that are not happy with your life so have to spend time talking about a person you dont even personally know and that has been very succesful and you havent get a life

When will this hubris, ungreatful(not out-spoken) woman just go away! She is beyond clueless; even when she is trying to come off as down to earth and sincere she manages to put in a jibe or two. "I don't want to be the person digging my own grave," she told KTLA's Sam Rubin while promoting the film Thursday morning. "I don't want to put myself out there in a way that would in any way sort of hinder this great thing I've got going. Because I'm really excited and grateful to kind of be in the position I'm in now and have the opportunity to be in movies like this movie -- and I don't want to jeopardize that."

Seriously??? She said she was greatful to "kind of be in the position...". Wow. Talk about foolish. People are losing jobs, homes and etc... while she is kinda greatful that she can read a script and decide whether or not she wants to act in a movie!!!!!!

I have no respect for this being and once again, I hope that this new movie with Josh (a very subpar actor, imo) flops so hard that Hollywood gives up on the chest compressions! Hollywood big shots it is DNR time. Please, do not resuscitate Katherine Heigl's fading pulse of a career!

Pick out a pretty in pink casket and bury this one's career. She needs to devote time to her family.

oh sure hate Katherine Heigl. In this cookie cutter world we live in anyone who does not fit into the mold is cast out. Most people just go along to get along. They dont have original thoughts of their own so they adapt others views, its easier than actually doing their own thinking.Most hollywood so called movie stars are idiots and certainly not role models.I applaud Katherine for speaking her mind. I for 1 find it quite refreshing when people are honest and say what they feel and not just go along with the popular view. So in my opinion you go Katherine be true to yourself it is you who has to look you in the mirror. Never be afraid to be who you are for fear others will not like you.Most likely the people speaking out againist you are doing so out of their own insecurities,And probably wish to GOD they were you.

About KEN LEVINE

Named one of the BEST 25 BLOGS by TIME Magazine. Ken Levine is an Emmy winning writer/director/producer/major league baseball announcer. In a career that has spanned over 30 years Ken has worked on MASH, CHEERS, FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS, WINGS, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, BECKER, DHARMA & GREG, and has co-created three series. He and his partner wrote the feature VOLUNTEERS. Ken has also been the radio/TV play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres. and Dodger Talk. He hosts the podcast HOLLYWOOD & LEVINE

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